43d  Congress,  )  HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES.  j  Ex.  Doc. 
1st  Session.  J  (No.  208. 


3  06 

tin  37e 


EXTENSION  OF  THE  CHESAPEAKE  AND  OHIO  CANAL  TO 

THE  OHIO  KIYEPv. 


LETTEE 

FROM 

THE  SECRETARY  OF  WAR, 

IN  ANSWER  TO 

A  resolution  of  the  House  of  March  20,  1874,  transmitting ,  in  compliance 
with  the  act  of  March  3,  1873,  a  report  upon  an  examination  of  waters 
for  the  extension  of  the  Chesapeake  and  Ohio  Canal  to  the  Ohio  River . 


AS 

V) 

to 


April  14,  1874. — Referred  to  tlie  Committee  on  Railways  and  Canals  and  ordered  to 

be  printed. 


War  Department,  April  3, 1874. 

The  Secretary  of  War  has  the  honor  to  transmit  to  the  House  of 
Representatives,  in  compliance  with  House  resolution  of  the  31st  ultimo, 
copy  of  report,  dated  March  20,  1874,  from  Maj.  W.  E.  Merrill,  Corps  of 
Engineers,  upon  an  examination  of  waters  for  the  extension  of  the 
HDhesapeake  and  Ohio  Canal  to  the  Ohio  River,  made  in  compliance  with 
the  second  section  of  act  of  March  3,  1873. 

WM.  W.  BELKNAP, 

Secretary  of  War. 


Office  of  the  Chief  of  Engineers, 

^  Washington ,  JO.  <7.,  April  1,  1874. 

Sir  :  I  have  the  honor  to  transmit  herewith  a  copy  of  a  report  re¬ 
ceived  from  Maj.  Wm.  E.  Merrill,  Corps  of  Engineers,  upon  an  explora¬ 
tion  of  waters  for  the  extension  of  the  Chesapeake  and  Ohio  Canal  to 
the  Ohio  River,  made  in  compliance  with  second  section  of  act  of  March 
3,  1873,  making  appropriations  for  certain  public  works  on  rivers  and 
harbors. 

Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

A.  A.  HUMPHREYS, 

Br  igadier- General  and  Chief  of  Engineers. 

Hon.  W.  W.  Belknap, 

Secretary  of  War. 


2 


EXTENSION  OF  THE  CHESAPEAKE  AND  OHIO  CANAL. 


EXTENSION  OF  THE  CHESAPEAKE  AND  OHIO  CANAL  TO 

THE  OHIO  KIYER. 

United  States  Engineer  Office, 

Cincinnati ,  Ohio,  March  20,  1874. 

General  :  The  act  of  Congress  approved  March  3,  1873,  making 
appropriations  for  rivers  and  harbors  contained  the  following  clause : 
“And  not  to  exceed  $5,000  of  the  above  appropriation  may  be  expended 
in  an  exploration  of  routes  for  the  extension  of  the  Chesapeake  and 
Ohio  Canal  to  the  Ohio  River  by  the  north  and  south  branches  of  the 
Potomac  River.” 

The  duty  of  making  this  exploration  having  been  assigned  to  me,  and 
being  unable,  on  account  of  my  other  duties,  to  make  the  survey  in  person, 
I  considered  myself  fortunate  in  being  able  to  put  it  in  charge  of  Col. 
Thomas  S.  Sedgwick,  late  of  the  volunteer  service,  who  had  served 
under  my  command  in  the  earlier  years  of  the  late  war.  His  report  is 
herewith  forwarded. 

The  idea  that  there  ought  to  be  a  canal  from  tide-water  to  the  Ohio, 
via  the  valley  of  the  Potomac,  is  a  very  old  one,  and  was  &  favorite 
scheme  of  Washington,  who  was  a  stockholder  in  the  Potomac  Com¬ 
pany,  an  organization  that  began  work  by  attempting  to  improve  the 
channel  of  the  Potomac.  Their  efforts,  however,  were  abortive,  and  the 
project  slumbered  until  it  was  revived  in  1824,  under  the  auspices  of  the 
National  Government.  During  this  year,  and  1825  and  1826,  very  care¬ 
ful  surveys  were  made  along  the  entire  line  of  the  proposed  canal  from 
Washington  to  Pittsburgh,  special  care  being  given  to  the  manner  of 
crossing  the  mountains.  The  results  of  these  investigations  are  given 
in  the  copies  of  the  Reports  of  the  Board  of  Internal  Improvements, 
which  are  herewith  attached  as  Appendix  A. 

The  object  of  the  surveys  of  fifty  years  ago  was  to  discover  a  practi¬ 
cable  water-route  between  the  Potomac  and  the  Ohio.  As  the  eastern 
division  of  the  proposed  canal  (that  portion  lying  in  the  valley  of  the 
Potomac)  has  been  built  as  far  as  Cumberland,  I  inferred  that  my 
duty  was  to  ascertain  how  to  extend  this  canal  toward  the  Ohio.  The 
act  itself  required  the  survey  to  be  made  “  by  the  north  and  south 
branches  of  the  Potomac.”  As  the  limited  sum  at  my  disposal  made  it 
impracticable  to  run  more  than  one  instrumental  line,  and  as  the  south 
branch  of  the  Potomac  enters  the  main  river  seventeen  miles  below  the 
present  head  of  the  canal,  and  flows  from  a  direction  almost  at  right 
angles  to  the  general  line  of  canal,  if  Pittsburgh  be  considered  as  its 
objective  point,  I  decided  to  restrict  the  examination  to  the  north  branch 
of  the  Potomac.  Mr.  Benjamin  Latrobe,  late  chief  engineer  of  the  Bal 
timore  and  Ohio  Railroad  Company,  very  kindly  placed  at  the  service 
of  Colonel  Sedgwick  all  of  the  information  which  he  had  acquired 
while  surveying  to  ascertain  the  best  route  for  a  railroad  over  the 
mountains,  and  gave  it  as  decidedly  his  opinion  that  it  was  useless  to 
seek,  south  of  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad,  for  a  pass  through 
which  to  carry  a  canal  whose  western  terminus  wTas  designed  to  be  at 
Pittsburgh.  If  there  were  an  intention  of  making  a  connection  with 
the  proposed  James  River  and  Kanawha  Canal,  then  the  valley  of  the 
south  branch  of  the  Potomac  should  be  surveyed,  but  inasmuch  as  I 
could  hear  of  no  such  intention  among  those  interested  in  the  extension 
of  the  Chesapeake  and  Ohio  Canal,  and  as  such  a  canal,  even  if  built, 
w  ould  probably  be  unable  to  divert  any  through  traffic  from  the  shorter 
and  easier  line  down  the  James  River,  I  concluded  to  abandon  the 


EXTENSION  OF  THE  CHESAPEAKE  AND  OHIO  CANAL.  3 

south  branch  entirely.  This  survey  was  therefore  restricted  to  a  line 
via  the  north  branch  of  the  Potomac. 

The  Board  of  Internal  Improvements,  in  1825,  reported  a  feasible 
route  via  North  Branch,  Savage  Biver,  Crabtree  Creek,  Deep  Creek, 
and  the  Youghiogheny.  In  1826  they  reported  a  much  better  route,  at 
a  lower  elevation,  by  way  of  Wills  Creek,  Flaugherty’s  Creek,  and  Cas- 
selman’s  Biver  to  its  junction  with  the  Youghiogheny  and  the  other  canal 
line.  The  route  over  the  mountains,  which  Colonel  Sedgwick  selected 
for  examination,  was  intermediate  between  these  two.  Commencing  at 
Cumberland,  it  followed  the  North  Branch,  Savage  Biver,  and  Blue  Lick, 
and  then,  by  a  tunnel,  struck  Casselman’s  Biver  at  the  Plucher  reser¬ 
voir  of  the  Wills  Creek  route;  thence  it  followed  down  the  Casselman 
until  it  joined  the  Wills  Creek  route  at  the  mouth  of  Flaugberty.  The 
details  of  these  three  routes  are  given  in  the  accompanying  documents. 
The  following  is  a  tabulated  statement  of  the  more  important  features 
of  the  three  routes  between  Cumberland  and  the  mouth  of  Casselman. 
The  route  recently  surveyed  is  called,  for  distinction,  the  Savage  Biver 
and  Blue  Lick  route. 

Comparison  of  lines  for  crossing  the  mountains. 


Routes  and  dimensions. 

Deep  Creek 
route. 

Wills  Creek 

route. 

Savage  River 

and  Blue 

Lick  route. 

Length  from  Cumberland  to  mouth  of  Casselman . 

. miles.. 

88.  59 

70.  57 

100 

Length  of  tunnel  at  summit . 

1.33 

4.  05 

5 

Elevation  of  summit  tunnel  above  tide . 

2,  408 

1,972 

2, 100 

Lockage  from  Cumberland  to  tunnel . 

. feet.. 

1,804 

1,  368 

1,496 

Lockage  from  tunnel  to  mouth  of  Casselman . 

. feet.. 

1,  070.  5 

634.5 

762.  5. 

Total  lockage  between  tunnel  and  mouth  of  Casselman . 

. feet.. 

2,  874.  5 

2,  002.  5 

2,  258.  5 

Length  of  summit  feeders . 

12.0 

6.0 

0.1 

In  preparing  the  above  table  it  became  necessary  to  determine  the 
elevation  above  tide  of  the  Cumberland  bench  mark.  The  surveys  of 
1828,  and  the  construction  of  the  canal,  showed  that  there  was  an  error 
of  69  feet  in  the  levels  of  the  eastern  section  of  the  canal  as  surveyed 
under  the  direction  of  the  board  of  internal  improvements.  The  bottom 
of  the  canal  at  Cumberland  is  603.75  above  tide,  and  its  surface  609.75. 
The  Government  bench-mark  was  found  to  be  at  the  elevation  of  632.27 
above  tide.  An  error  in  leveling  was  also  found  between  Cumberland 
and  the  Wills  Creek  tunnel.  As  the  latest  survey  put  this  tunnel 
definitely  at  1,972  above  tide,  that  height  has  been  considered  as  estab¬ 
lished,  and  the  Deep  Creek  tunnel  has  been  placed  436  higher,  accord¬ 
ing  to  the  relative  difference  of  level  found  by  the  board  of  internal 
improvements.  The  lockages  up  to  the  three  tunnels  have  been  calcu¬ 
lated  from  the  present  level  of  the  canal  at  Cumberland. 

A  slight  examination  of  the  above  table  shows  that  the  Wills  Creek 
route  is  greatly  superior  to  the  other  two,  being  shorter  than  either  of 
the  others,  and  having  a  much  lower  summit-level.  It  is  eighteen  miles 
shorter  than  the  Deep  Creek  route,  and  has  872  feet  less  lockage,  which 
is  equivalent  to  dispensing  with  109  locks.  It  has  a  longer  tunnel,  buk 
this  disadvantage  is  more  than  counterbalanced  by  the  other  great  ad¬ 
vantages.  As  compared  with  the  Savage  Biver  and  Blue  Lick  route 
(the  new  route  surveyed  by  Colonel  Sedgwick)  it  is  twenty-nine  and  a 
half  miles  shorter,  has  256  feet  less  lockage,  and  its  summit- tunnel  is 
one  mile  shorter.  It  is,  therefore,  a  better  route  in  every  respect.  Com- 


4 


EXTENSION  OF  THE  CHESAPEAKE  AND  OHIO  CANAL. 


paring'  the  Deep  Creek  route  with  that  by  Savage  River  and  Blue  Lick 
we  find  that  the  former  is  eleven  miles  shorter  and  has  a  much  shorter 
summit-tunnel,  but  has  616  feet  more  lockage.  As  far  as  time  of  transit 
is  concerned  we  may  assume  that  eight  minutes  are  required  at  each 
lock  for  passing  a  boat  through,  which  is  equivalent  to  one  minute  for 
each  foot  of  lift.  The  616  feet  of  extra  lockage  would  therefore  re¬ 
quire  six  hundred  and  sixteen  minutes,  or  ten  hours  and  sixteen 
minutes,  during  which  time  a  boat  could  travel  thirty-one  miles  on  a 
level.  As  far,  therefore,  as  speed  of  passage  is  concerned,  the  new  route 
is  twenty  miles  shorter  in  distance,  or  six  hours  and  forty  minutes 
quicker  in  time,  than  the  Deep  Creek  route. 

But  there  is  always  difficulty  in  maintaining  enough  water  for  navi¬ 
gation  in  very  short  levels,  and  therefore  it  is  very  desirable  to  have  the 
locks  as  far  apart  as  possible.  Both  of  the  last-mentioned  routes  fol¬ 
low  the  same  line  going  west  as  far  as  the  mouth  of  Crab-Tree,  and  there¬ 
fore  w  e  need  only  compare  them  west  of  this  point.  On  the  Deep  Creek 
route  the  heads  of  the  locks  would  be  at  an  average  distance  apart  of 
351  feet,  but  the  board  state  that  u  this  is  on  the  supposition  of  a  uni¬ 
form  declivity,  which  is  far  from  being  the  case,  and  more  especially  in 
the  valley  of  Crab-Tree  Creek,  w  here,  toward  the  head,  the  locks  on 
account  of  the  steepness  of  the  ascent  could  not  even  find  room,  unless 
their  lift  should  be  considerably  increased.  To  this  difficulty  we  must 
add  the  narrowness  of  the  valley,  which  would  oblige  to  resort  to  very 
expensive  means  to  erect,  where  necessary,  double  sets  of  locks,  as  also 
to  shelter  the  work  from  destruction  either  by  high  freshets  or  by 
heavy  showers.” 

On  the  Savage  River  and  Blue  Lick  route  the  average  distance  be¬ 
tween  the  heads  of  locks  from  the  mouth  of  Crab-Tree  to  the  eastern 
portal  of  the  tunnel  is  651  feet,  and  there  is  no  difficulty  in  preserving 
this  average  throughout  this  part  of  the  line.  This  is  a  very  great  ad¬ 
vantage.  Another  advantage  is  that  the  new  route,  immediately  after 
crossing  the  summit,  enters  a  rich  coal-basin  (the  Salisbury)  on  the  other 
side  of  the  mountains.  As  far  as  known  the  country  on  the  Deep  Creek 
route,  between  the  mouths  of  Crab-Tree  Creek  and  Casselman  River,  has 
no  mineral  resources  and  would  furnish  but  little  business  to  the  canal. 

If,  therefore,  a  choice  were  necessary  between  the  Deep  Creek  and 
the  Savage  River  and  Blue  Lick  routes,  I  think  that  the  preference 
should  be  given  to  the  latter,  although  it  is  proper  to  state  that  the 
long  summit-tunnel  will  cause  detentions  that  will  appreciably  reduce 
the  gain  in  time  over  the  Deep  Creek  route. 

An  inspection  of  the  map  show's  that  the  only  other  possible  route  for 
a  canal  between  Cumberland  and  Pittsburgh  besides  those  already  ex¬ 
amined  is  by  w  ay  of  the  North  Branch  to  its  head,  and  thence  aero;  s 
the  mountains  to  the  Cheat  River.  To  this  route  there  are  several 
objections. 

1.  The  approximate  height  of  the  head-waters  of  the  North  Branch  at 
Fairfax  Stone  (as  shown  by  Colonel  Sedgwick’s  reconnaissance)  is  2,520 
feet  above  tide,  showing  that  a  tunnel  in  this  vicinity  would  have* 
greater  elevation  than  on  any  other  line,  and  that,  therefore,  this  line 
would  require  a  much  greater  number  of  locks. 

2.  If  the  canal  did  not  turn  off  before  reaching  the  head-spring  it 
could  not  be  supplied  with  water. 

3.  A  route  by  the  North  Branch  and  Cheat  River  would  be  greatly 
longer  than  by  any  other  line. 

4.  The  Cheat  River  is  an  exceptionally  wild  and  difficult  stream,  and 


EXTENSION  OF  THE  CHESAPEAKE  AND  OHIO  CANAL. 


5 


the  maintenance  of  a  canal  alongside  of  it  would  be  very  difficult  and 
costly.  (For  a  description  of  Cheat  Eiver  see  Appendix  A,  page  132.) 

5.  Along  this  line  the  country  is  very  sparsely  settled,  and  there  would 
be  but  little  business  for  a  canal. 

Any  route  passing  south  of  the  North  Branch  would  be  still  more  ob¬ 
jectionable. 

We  therefore  conclude  that,  in  extending  the  Chesapeake  and  Ohio 
Canal,  the  choice  of  routes  is  absolutely  limited  to  the  three  mentioned 
above.  In  order  of  desirability  they  are  as  follows : 

1.  Wills  Creek  route. 

2.  Savage  Eiver  and  Blue  Lick  route. 

3.  The  Deep  Creek  route. 

As,  by  the  appropriation  act,  I  was  debarred  from  having  an  instru¬ 
mental  examination  made  of  the  Wills  Creek  route,  my  knowledge  of  it 
is  limited  to  the  older  surveys,  aud  what  could  be  seen  while  passing 
over  the  railroad  between  Cumberland  and  Pittsburgh,  which,  except  at 
the  summit,  occupies  throughout  its  whole  length  the  location  chosen 
for  the  canal.  The  valley  of  the  Little  Wills  Creek  is  so  narrow  and  so 
wild  that  it  is  doubtful  if  the  railroad  has  left  room  for  a  canal;  but 
this  route  is  so  greatly  superior  to  any  other,  that,  in  my  opinion,  no 
work  should  be  done  toward  extending  the  canal  until  a  very  careful 
examination  is  made  of  this  line,  to  ascertain  if  it  is  still  practicable  for 
a  canal.  As  far  as  the  Salisbury  coal-basin  is  concerned,  it  could  more 
readily  be  reached  by  the  Wills  Creek  route  (if  the  feeder  from  Plencher’s 
were  made  navigable)  than  by  the  Savage  Eiver  and  Blue  Lick  route, 
as  the  distance  from  Salisbury  to  Cumberland  via  Wills  Creek  is  forty  - 
three  miles,  while  by  the  Savage  Eiver  it  is  fifty-seven. 

But  a  canal  by  any  of  these  routes  is  so  very  costly  that  local  advan¬ 
tages  must  be  entirely  subordinated  to  the  principal  object  of  the  ex¬ 
penditure.  In  this  case  a  connection  between  the  Potomac  aud  the 
Ohio  is  the  evident  solution  desired,  and  therefore  the  line  chosen  for 
the  canal  should  be  such  as  will  give  the  most  useful  connection,  regard¬ 
less  of  local  interests. 

After  crossing  the  mountains  the  next  question  is,  how  to  descend  the 
valley  of  the  Youghiogheny.  No  instrumental  survey  could  be  made  of 
this  part  of  the  route,  but  enough  was  visible  from  the  cars  to  indicate 
that  there  would  be  considerable  difficulty  in  this  valley,  especially  at 
Ohio  Pile  Falls.  The  route  recommended  by  the  board  of  internal  im¬ 
provements  has  been  occupied  by  the  railroad  from  Cumberland  to 
Pittsburgh,  and  an  effort  must  be  made  to  find  room  for  the  canal  on 
the  other  side  of  the  river.  I  would,  therefore,  recommend  an  appro¬ 
priation  for  this  purpose. 

In  order  to  test  the  value  of  Colonel  Sedgwick’s  estimate  of  the  cost 
of  the  summit-tunnel,  I  applied  to  the  authorities  of  the  Baltimore  and 
Ohio  Eailroad  for  a  statement  of  the  cost  of  the  Sand-Patch  tunnel, 
which  is  at  about  the  same  place,  though  at  a  higher  elevation,  as  the 
proposed  Wills  Creek  tunnel.  Mr.  Latrobe  very  kindly  gave  me  full 
particulars,  and,  with  his  consent, 4I  append  his  letter  as  Appendix  C. 
This  tunnel,  4,800  feet  long,  cost  $*420,000,  or  at  the  rate  of  $87.50  per 
running  foot  for  tunnel  and  approaches.  The  section,  in  the  clear,  of 
the  Sand- Patch  tunnel  is  16  by  18 J,  while  that  of  the  proposed  canal- 
tunnel  will  be  a  segment,  26  feet  in  height,  cut  from  a  circle  whose  ra¬ 
dius  is  16  feet.  The  area  of  Excavation  for  the  Sand-Patch  tunnel 
is  therefore  about  330  square  feet,  and  that  of  the  proposed  canal-tunnel 
about  800  square  feet.  The  latter  is,  therefore,  two  and  four-tenths 
larger  than  the  railroad-tunnel. 


6 


EXTENSION  OF  THE  CHESAPEAKE  AND  OHIO  CANAL. 


Colonel  Sedgwick  places  the  cost  of  his  five-mile  tunnel  at  $8,346,000, 
which  is  at  the  rate  of  $1,669,200  per  mile,  or  $316  per  running  foot! 
At  this  rate  a  tunnel  of  the  sectional  area  of  the  Sand-Patch  tunnel 
would  cost  $132  per  running  foot,  which  is  51  per  cent,  more  per  run¬ 
ning  foot  thau  the  latter  tunnel  actually  did  cost.  A  wide  tunnel  is  less 
costly  per  cubic  yard  than  a  narrow  one ;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  along 
tunnel  is  more  costly  than  a  short  one.  In  the  absence  of  any  definite 
knowledge  of  the  depth  of  shafts,  or  of  the  stratification  of  the  rock 
through  which  the  five-mile  tunnel  is  to  pass,  we  may  content  ourselves 
with  the  above  estimate  as  reasonably  accurate. 

As  corroborative  evidence  that  this  estimate  is  not  too  small,  I  would 
state  that  the  published  estimate  of  the  cost  of  the/  summit-tunnel  oil 
the  James  Eiver  and  Kanawha  line,  7.8  miles  long,  is  $13,253,310. 
This  last  tunnel  has  a  section  of  52  by  34  J  feet,  being  46  feet  wide  at 
wrater-line  and  7  feet  deep.  It  is,  therefore,  about  70  per  cent,  larger 
than  the  tunnel  proposed  by  Colonel  Sedgwick. 

WESTERN  TERMINUS  OF  CANAL. 

At  present  there  is  slack- water  on  the  Monongahela  to  and  above  the 
mouth  of  the  Youghiogheny.  The  terminus  of  the  canal  should  be  at 
this  slack- water.  An  effort  is  being  made  to  slack- water  the  Youghio¬ 
gheny  to  West  Newton,  or  higher,  for  the  benefit  of  the  coal-mines  on 
this  river.  Although  this  may  answer  the  wants  of  coal  operators,  who 
can  only  ship  coal  when  there  is  a  sufficiency  of  water  in  the  Ohio,  at 
which  time  there  is  usually  good  water  in  the  tributaries,  it  cannot  be 
depended  on  as  the  terminus  of  a  canal  doing  a  large  business.  The 
Youghiogheny,  in  dry  seasons,  does  not  supply  enough  water  to  provide 
lockage  for  an  extensive  navigation,  and  there  is  sometimes  trouble 
even  on  the  Monongahela.  The  terminus  of  the  Chesapeake  and  Ohio 
Canal  should  therefore  be  at  McKeesport. 

As  Colonel  Sedgwick  has  stopped  his  estimate  at  Connellsville,  it  is 
necessary  to  increase  it  by  the  cost  of  extending  the  canal  to  McKees¬ 
port.  The  distance  from  Connellsville  to  McKeesport  is  forty -four 
miles,  and  the  lockage  in  this  distance  is  put  by  the  board  at  152  feet. 
In  continuing  the  canal  to  Pittsburgh  they  have  an  additional  lockage 
of  thirty-five  feet.  As  their  canal  was  assumed  to  be  5  feet  in  depth, 
and  as  all  their  levels  refer  to  the  bottom  of  the  canal,  the  latter  must 
have  been  taken  at  McKeesport  at  an  elevation  of  30  feet  above  low 
water  in  the  Ohio  at  Pittsburgh.  Between  Pittsburgh  and  McKeesport 
there  are  two  dams  across  the  Monongahela,  each  of  which  has  a  lift  of 
8  feet.  The  bottom  of  the  canal  at  McKeesport  must  therefore  be  14 
feet  above  the  surface  of  the  Monongahela  at  the  same  place,  and  the 
lockage  to  be  provided  for  must  be  19  feet.  The  increase  in  length  of 
canal  over  Colonel  Sedgwick’s  estimate  will  therefore  be  forty-four  miles, 
and  the  increase  in  lockage  171  feet. 

The  board’s  estimate  of  cost  from  Connellsville  to  McKeesport  was 
$2,047,996.  Increasing  this  by  25  per  cent,  it  becomes  $2,559,995,  and 
adding  the  cost  of  the  three  additional  locks  ($45,000  more,)  we  find  the 
total  cost  of  this  section  $2,605,000.  If  we  allow  10  per  cent,  for  contingen¬ 
cies  the  estimate  becomes  $2,865,500.  This  would  make  Colonel  Sedg¬ 
wick’s  total  estimate  for  a  canal,  33  feet  wide  at  bottom,  48  feet  wide  at 
water-line,  and  5  feet  deep,  and  extending  from  Cumberland,  Md.,  to 
McKeesport,  Pa.,  a  distance  of  171J  miles,  $23,133,585. 


EXTENSION  OF  THE  CHESAPEAKE  AND  OHIO  CANAL. 


7 


SIZE  OF  CANAL. 

The  depth  which  Colonel  Sedgwick  has  chosen  for  the  canal  seems 
to  me  to  be  inadequate  to  the  wants  of  a  great  through  water-route.  I 
think  that  on  no  account  should  the  extension  have  a  less  size  than 
the  canal  as  now  built  to  Cumberland ;  otherwise  the  sums  expend¬ 
ed  below  Cumberland  in  providing  6  feet  of  water  will  have  been 
wasted  as  far  as  through-traffic  is  concerned.  The  chief  objection  to  in¬ 
creasing  the  depth  of  the  canal  comes  from  the  increased  supply  of 
water  required  to  keep  up  the  levels.  The  increased  waste  in  a  deep 
canal  is  due  to  the  increased  filtration  through  the  soil,  and  the  in¬ 
creased  leakage  through  gates,  both  of  which  increases  are  due  to  the 
greater  pressure  exerted  by  the  deeper  water.  If  the  calculations  of 
those  who  examined  and  reported  on  the  water-supply  are  to  be  trusted, 
there  certainly  seems  to  be  enough  water  available  to  supply  a  6-foot 
canal,  if  made  reasonably  tight. 

There  seems  to  be  no  doubt  that  a  6-foot  canal  can  be  kept  up 
throughout  all  but  the  summit-level  without  any  unusual  expense.  If, 
then,  special  care  be  taken  in  the  construction  of  the  summit-level,  so 
that  a  6-foot  canal  shall  hold  water  as  well  as  a  5-foot  one  usually  does, 
there  will  be  no  lack  of  water,  and  a  slight  increase  in  expenditure  will 
insure  a  far  greater  increase  in  the  usefulness  of  the  work.  If  the  canal 
can  only  give  5  feet  depth  of  water  its  utility  will  hardly  be  sufficient  to 
justify  its  construction. 

The  only  survey  which  we  could  make  was  so  hurried,  and  the  quan¬ 
tities  to  be  used  in  calculation  so  uncertain,  that  it  seems  hardly  worth 
while  to  attempt  to  estimate  in  detail  how  much  the  estimate  should  be 
increased  to  provide  for  a  6-foot  extension.  If  a  section  were  assumed 
the  same  as  that  of  the  present  canal  at  Cumberland,  the  water  area 
would  be  increased  from  202 J  square  feet  (as  assumed  by  the  board  for 
a  5-foot  canal)  to  252  square  feet.  This  is  an  increase  of  24J  per  cent. 
Therefore,  roughly  assuming  a  corresponding  increase  of  expenditure, 
we  find  the  cost  of  a  canal  30  feet  wide  at  bottom,  54  feet  wide  at  water¬ 
line,  6  feet  deep,  and  extending  from  Cumberland  to  McKeesport,  one 
hundred  and  seventy-one  and  one-half  miles,  $28,801,313.  I  think  that 
this  estimate  is  as  fair  an  approximation  as  our  limited  information  will 
now  permit. 

WORKINGS  OF  SUMMIT-TUNNEL. 

I  am  decidedly  of  the  opinion  that  the  summit-tunnel  should  be 
worked  by  steam.  The  summit- tunnel  on  the  Burgundy  Canal  in 
France  is  successfully  operated  by  steam-tugs,  towing  by  the  use  of  a 
submerged  cable.  They  work  very  economically,  and  in  fact  this  sys¬ 
tem  is  very  generally  used  in  France  on  their  canalized  rivers.  To  avoid 
smoke,  which  would  be  very  objectionable  in  very  long  tunnels,  it  might 
be  practicable  to  carry  large  reservoirs  of  steam,  supplied  from  boilers 
at  each  end  of  the  tunnel,  as  I  understand  is  now  done  in  New  Orleans 
on  one  of  the  street-car  lines.  The  omission  of  the  tow-path  saves  a 
very  considerable  sum  in  the  cost  of  the  tunnel,  and  even  in  case  of 
accident  to  a  tug  there  would  be  no  difficulty  in  poling  the  boats  out  of 
the  tunnel. 

INCLINED  PLANES. 

Where  locks  have  to  be  so  close  together,  as  will  undoubtedly  be  ne¬ 
cessary  at  many  places  on  this  extension,  I  think  that  it  would  be  in 
every  way  advantageous  to  resort  to  the  system  of  inclined  planes  so 


8 


EXTENSION  OF  THE  CHESAPEAKE  AND  OHIO  CANAL. 


successfully  used  on  the  Morris  and  Essex  Canal.  I  am  informed  that, 
by  this  system,  boats  travel  up  and  down  the  inclines  as  fast  as  they  do 
on  a  level,  and  thus  one  of  the  greatest  objections  to  a  heavy  amount  of 
lockage  is  entirely  obviated.  Colonel  Sedgewick  has  nearly  finished  a 
paper  on  this  subject,  which  I  will  forward  when  completed,  and  which 
I  request  may  subsequently  be  attached  to  this  report.  If  the  Wills- 
Creek  route  should  prove  to  be  still  available,  I  believe  that  its  heavy 
ascending  grade  going  west  will  make  it  necessary  to  use  inclines  in¬ 
stead  of  locks,  at  least  immediately  east  of  the  summit.  Boats  would 
have  to  be  in  two  parts  to  accommodate  themselves  to  this  arrangement. 
There  are  probably  other  places  on  the  line  where  the  same  construction 
would  be  useful. 


WESTERN  CONNECTIONS. 

It  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  both  this  canal  and  the  James  River 
and  Kanawha  will  utterly  fail  to  become  great  through-routes  of  water 
transportation  to  the  seaboard,  unless  the  Ohio  River  is  made  to  give  a 
depth  of  at  least  6  feet  throughout  the  summer  and  fall,  the  time  when 
the  canals  are  doing  their  heaviest  business,  but  the  rivers  are  at  their 
lowest.  It  is  foreign  to  the  present  report  to  do  more  than  allude  to 
this  matter,  but  as  it  is  a  vital  one  I  think  it  proper,  as  the  engineer  in 
charge  of  the  Ohio,  to  state  that  there  is  no  practical  difficulty  in  the 
way  of  securing  this  depth  throughout  the  year  by  movable  dams.  For 
details  reference  is  made  to  Ex.  Doc.  No.  127,  House  of  Representatives, 
Forty-third  Congress,  first  session.  I  have  no  hesitation  in  saying  that 
it  is  impracticable  to  secure  such  a  depth  for  navigation,  at  least  above 
the  falls,  by  any  attempted  guiding  and  controlling  of  the  natural  cur¬ 
rents,  however  simple  such  operations  may  appear  in  the  office.  They 
have  been  repeatedly  tried  and  found  wanting.  Below  Pittsburgh  the 
Ohio  is  often  down  to  12  inches,  and  between  Louisville  and  Cairo  it  is 
not  unfrequently  down  to  20  inches.  For  a  fuller  statement  oh  the 
practicability  of  improving  the  navigation  of  the  Ohio  below  the  falls 
see  Ex.  Doc.  127,  Part  3,  House  of  Representatives,  Forty -third  Con¬ 
gress,  first  session. 

COMMERCIAL  ADVANTAGES  OF  THIS  CANAL. 

This  is  a  matter  that  I  thought  of  working  up,  and  for  that  purpose  I 
had  some  statistics  prepared  from  the  last  census-tables,  but  I  have  con¬ 
cluded  that  until  a  definite  line  of  canal  is  selected,  and  a  fair  approxi¬ 
mation  of  its  cost  is  made,  it  will  not  be  practicable  to  make  a  useful 
comparison  with  other  through-routes.  Until  the  profile  of  the  canal  is 
determined  its  equated  length  cannot  be  obtained,  and  this  alone  gives 
a  basis  of  comparison.  If  this  investigation  is  continued  I  will  endeavor 
in  my  next  report  (should  the  survey  be  again  confided  to  me)  to  take 
up  this  branch  of  the  subject.  In  order  to  have  a  graphic  comparison 
between  this  water-line,  the  Erie  and  the  James  River  and  Kanawha,  I 
have  prepared  a  profile-sheet  which  shows  each  line.  They  all  end  at 
tide-water,  the  Erie  beginning  at  Buffalo,  the  Chesapeake  and  Ohio  at 
Pittsburgh,  and  the  James  River  and  Kanawha  at  Point  Pleasant.  The 
profiles  show  very  clearly  the  immense  natural  advantages  of  the  route 
occupied  by  the  Erie  Canal. 

CONCLUSION. 

In  concluding  this  report  I  would  recommend,  as  I  have  mentioned 
before,  that  if  this  investigation  is  to  be  continued  careful  surveys  should 
be  made  by  the  Will’s  Creek  route  from  Cumberland  to  McKeesport. 
This  would  require  three  independent  parties  under  the  control  of  one 
chief.  One  party  should  take  the  line  from  Cumberland  to  Meyer’s 


EXTENSION  OF  THE  CHESAPEAKE  AND  OHIO  CANAL, 


9 


Mills,  and  the  other  two  should  divide  the  distance  from  Meyer’s  Mills 
to  Connellsville.  From  the  latter  place  to  McKeesport  the  route  is  un¬ 
questionably  feasible,  and  the  old  surveys  will  do  until  the  work  of 
construction  on  the  mountain  section  is  well  under  way.  The  entire 
route  should  be  surveyed  with  a  special  view  to  the  use  of  inclined 
planes  on  difficult  ground,  and  to  the  location  of  the  necessary  reser¬ 
voirs,  for  reservoirs  will  be  needed  along  the  whole  of  the  line.  I  would 
not  recommend  any  survey  at  present  of  the  Savage  River  route.  It 
will  be  time  enough  to  take  that  up  if  it  is  found  impracticable  to  get  a 
line  through  by  way  of  Will’s  Greek.  A  saving  in  distance  of  twenty- 
nine  and  a  half  miles,  and  in  lockage  of  256  feet,  is  equivalent  to  a  sav¬ 
ing  in  time  of  about  fourteen  hours,  which  is  so  great  a  gain  as  to  justify 
a  large  increase  of  expenditure  in  order  to  secure  it.  The  cost  of  the 
surveys  recommended  would  be  about  $20,000,  and  this  appropriation 
I  would  recommend  if  this  extension  is  to  be  carried  through. 

Respectfully  submitted. 

WM.  E.  MERRILL, 

Major  Engineers . 

General  A.  A.  Humphreys, 

Chief  of  Engineers. 


MR.  T.  S.  SEDGWICK’S  REPORT. 

Washington,  D.  C.,  January  30,  1874, 

Col.  William  E.  Mekill, 

United  States  Engineers ,  in  charge  Surveys  and  Explorations 

for  the  Extension  of  the  Chesapeake  and  Ohio  Canal: 

Colonel:  I  have  the  honor  to  make  the  following  report  of  instrumental  reconnais¬ 
sance  and  examinations  for  the  extension  of  the  Chesapeake  and  Ohio  Canal. 

The  western  terminus  of  the  canal  is  at  Cumberland,  Md.,  and  the  problem  of  its 
extension  is  a  difficult  one,  arising  not  only  from  the  great  elevation  to  be  overcome 
and  the  steep  eastern  slope  of  the  Alleghany  Mountains  to  be  climbed,  but  also  from  the 
changed  condition  controlling  the  extension  now  as  compared  with  those  existing  when 
the  construction  of  the  canal  was  begun  in  1828.  The  route  by  Will’s  Creek  and 
Flaugherty  Creek  to  Meyer’s  Mills,  on  Castleman  River,  and  thence  by  Castleman 
River  and  the  Youghiogheny  and  Monongahela  rivers  to  Pittsburgh,  then  believed, 
and,  in  fact,  fully  demonstrated  to  be  the  best  and  most  practicable  route  between  Cum¬ 
berland  and  Pittsburgh,  is  now  occupied  and  controlled  throughout  its  entire  length 
by  the  Pittsburgh  branch  of  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad  ;  so  that  portion  of  the 
route  between  Cumberland  and  the  summit  of  the  mountain  at  Sand-Patch  tunnel  is 
not  now  practicable  for  the  location  and  construction  of  a  canal,  there  being  also  a 
second  railroad  (the  Pennsylvania  and  Cumberland)  between  Cumberland  and  the 
mouth  of  Little  Will’s  Creek,  fifteen  miles,  so  that  the  hope  of  the  extension  of  the 
canal  reasonably  reverts  to  the  Deep  Creek  route,  the  alternative  route  with  the  Will’s 
Creek  route,  both  which  were  reported  on  in  detail  by  the  board  of  internal  improve¬ 
ments  in  1826. 

This  route  follows  the  North  Branch  of  the  Potomac  to  the  mouth  of  Savage  River, 
and  thence  by  the  Savage  River  and  Crabtree  Creek  to  Bear  Creek  and  Deep  Creek, 
and  by  the  Youghiogheny  to  the  junction  with  Castleman  River,  at  Turkey-Foot,  now 
confluence,  a  point  common  to  the  two  routes. 

This  route  is  eighteen  miles  longer  than  the  Will’s  Creek  route,  and  its  summit-level 
was  taken  440  feet  higher  than  the  summit-level  of  the  Will’s  Creek  route.  That  por¬ 
tion  of  the  route  between  Cumberland  and  the  mouth  of  Savage  River  is  occupied  in 
general  by  the  main  line  of  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad,  but  the  valley  being 
wide  and  open,  and  the  railroad  company  having  been  directed  by  process  of  law  to 
respect  the  prior  location  of  the  canal,  which  had  been  made  as  far  as  the  mouth  of 
Savage  River,  the  conditions  are  not  materially  changed  with  regard  to  the  location 
and  construction  of  a  canal  between  those  places,  excepting,  probably,  in  the  matter 
of  land  and  right  of  way. 

The  favorable  condition  of  the  Will’s  Creek  route  being  so  disadvantageously  modi¬ 
fied  by  railroad  occupation,  the  question  arose  as  to  the  probability  of  the  existence  of 
a  route  between  the  Will’s  Creek  and  Deep  Creek  routes,  which  could  have  a  lower 


10  EXTENSION  OF  THE  CHESAPEAKE  AMD  OHIO  CANAL. 


summit-level  than  the  Deep  Creek  route,  and  which  could  he  supplied  with  water  from 
the  reservoirs  on  Castleman  River  designed  for  the  Will’s  Creek  route,  aud  at  the  same 
time  would  have  a  summit-tunnel  of  a  feasible  length.  In  accordance  with  these  con¬ 
siderations  it  was  deemed  advisable,  with  your  approval,  to  thoroughly  examine  the 
summit-passes  between  the  Savage  and  Castlemau  Rivers,  a  region  not  heretofore  sur¬ 
veyed  ,  and  to  determine  their  character  and  conditions  with  reference  to  the  extension 
of  the  canal  thereby.  Accordingly  a  route,  beginning  at  the  mouth  of  Savage  River, 
the  termination  of  the  previous  surveys,  and  following  the  Savage  to  Blue  Lick  Run, 
crossing  the  summit  of  the  mountains  near  the  Shades  on  the  Old.  National  road,  aud 
descending  to  the  Castleman  River,  at  Salisbury,  Ya.,  by  Piney  Run,  was  examined  by 
instrumental  survey. 

This  route  was  found  to  be  generally  favorable,  especially  as  to  the  matter  of  a  good 
location  and  cost  of  construction  of  a  line  of  canal,  though  not  so  favorable  as  to  the 
summit-tunnel.  It  traverses  a  very  important  aud  valuable  coal-basin,  aud  would 
provide  an  additional  transportation  outlet  for  the  Cumberland  coal-basin  and  enhance 
the  agricultural  growth  of  the  valley  of  the  North  Branch  and  its  larger  tributaries. 
This  route  is  longer  thau  the  Will’s  Creek  route,  but  is  better  conditioned  as  to  the  dis¬ 
tribution  of  locks,  and  efficiency  and  economy  of  the  water-supply. 

THE  CONDUCT  OF  THE  SURVEY  AND  CHARACTERISTIC  FEATURES  OF  THE  ROUTE. 

The  surveying  party  rendezvoused  at  Bloomington,  W.  Ya.,  near  the  mouth  of  Savage 
River,  on  the  25th  of  July,  but  owing  to  some  delay  in  procuring  a  cook,  and  the  slow 
arrival  of  the  surveying  instruments,  surveying  operations  were  not  begun  until  Au¬ 
gust  1.  The  survey  was  begun  at  the  junction  of  Savage  River  and  the  North  Branch, 
which  comes  some  forty  miles  from  the  south  west, Lruns  northeasterly  some  thirty  miles 
to  Cumberland. 

The  elevation  was  taken  to  be  960  feet  above  tide-water  at  Georgetown,  D.  C.,  as 
determined  by  the  surveys  of  1828.  This  elevation  corresponds  with  the  grade  notes 
of  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad. 

The  Savage  River  from  its  mouth  to  Crabtree  Creek,  five  and  a  quarter  miles,  has  a 
general  direction  west- northwest,  its  bed  rising  uniformly  at  the  rate  of  74  feet  per 
mile.  In  this  distance  it  has  worn  its  way  through  and  right  across  the  axis  of  Savage 
Mountain  (which  lies  northeast  and  southwest)  to  a  depth  of  nearly  1,000  feet,  con¬ 
sequently  the  channel  is  crooked,  and  has  rough,  rocky  bluffs  at  the  bends,  and  is  the 
most  unfavorable  portion  of  the  route  in  regard  to  location  and  construction.  The 
Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad  holds  its  way  high  up  on  the  southern  side  of  the  ravine 
to  gain  the  summit  of  the  mountain  at  the  head  of  Crabtree  Creek.  The  valley  is  un¬ 
settled  and  wild,  and  covered  with  a  rank  growth  of  laurel,  so  that  the  line  of  the 
survey  often  followed  the  bed  of  the  stream. 

A  gauging  of  the  river  just  above  its  mouth  gave  a  discharge  of  18  cubic  feet  per 
second. 

From  Crabtree  to  Monroe  Run,  two  and  a  half  miles,  the  river  turns  sharply  to  the 
north,  its  bed  rising  at  the  rate  of  53f  feet  per  mile.  The  valley  grows  wider  and  has 
no  bluff  or  rocky  banks;  thence  to  Blue  Lick  Run  the  direction  is  north-northeast  for 
five  and  three-quarter  miles,  and  thence  to  the  summit  of  the  mountain  of  Blue  Lick, 
five  and  three-quarter  miles,  the  direction  is  north  with  a  convex  bend  to  the  east. 

From  the  mouth  of  Crabtree  the  Savage  River  lies  between  the  Savage  Mountain 
on  the  east  and  the  main  Allegheny  on  the  west,  with  a  general  direction  north-north¬ 
east,  reaching  some  sixteen  or  eighteen  miles,  crossing  the  National  road  some  four 
miles  west  from  Frostburgh,  Md.  From  the  mouth  of  Crabtree  Creek  to  Chaney’s 
Mill,  on  Blue  Lick,  near  its  head,  the  valley  is  wide  and  open,  and  has  often  several 
hundred  yards  width  of  bottom-lands  ;  the  river  is  without  bluffs  or  rocky  banks,  aud 
rising  at  the  rate  of  65  feet  per  mile.  The  general  character  of  this  section  of  the 
route  is  very  favorable  for  the  construction  of  a  canal,  there  being  room  enough  for  a 
good  location,  and  the  hill-slopes  having  terraces  favorable  for  supporting  the  levels 
of  the  canal  to  suitable  sites  for  locks.  A  location  can  be  made  on  the  west  side  of 
the  valley  over  this  section  without  difficulty  or  obstacles  to  a  point  where  the  entrance 
to  the  summit-tunnel  may  be  satisfactorily  located. 

From  the  summit  of  the  mountain  along  Two-Mile  Run  to  Piney  Run,  a  distance 
of  four  miles,  the  direction  is  northeast,  and  thence  along  Piney  Run  to  its  junction 
with  Castleman  River,  one  mile  north  of  Salisbury,  Somerset  County,  Pa.,  the  direc¬ 
tion  is  north-northwest,  aud  the  distance  is  six  and  one-quarter  miles,  the  ground 
falling  at  the  rate  of  79.4  feet  per  mile.  Along  Two-Mile  Run,  which  crosses  the  Na¬ 
tional  road  at  Shades,  the  same  difficulty  in  surveying  was  met  as  on  the  first  section 
of  Savage  River,  and  also  as  far  down  Piney  as  Ingle’s  Mill,  within  one  mile  of  its 
mouth.  From  Ingle’s  Mill  to  the  mouth  of  Piney  the  character  of  the  valley  is  very 
favorable  for  location  and  construction  on  either  side  of  the  valley,  being  wide  and 
open,  with  much  bottom-land  and  meadow. 

The  survey  having  demonstrated  the  practicability  of  this  route,  the  examination^ 


EXTENSION  OF  THE  CHESAPEAKE  AND  OHIO  CANAL.  11 


might  have  closed  when  the  valley  of  Castleman  River  was  reached,  but,  for  the  pur¬ 
pose  of  making  a  more  complete  comparison  of  this  route  with  the  Will’s  Creek  route, 
the  survey  was  continued  down  the  valley  of  Castleman  River  to  Meyer’s  Mills, 
(Meyer’s  Dale  City,)  at  the  mouth  of  Flaugherty  Creek,  and  theuce  to  Blue  Lick,  these 
being  the  valleys  into  which  the  proposed  tunnel  led  from  Bowman’s  Run  on  Will’s 
Creek.  From  Piney  Run  to  Flaugherty  Creek,  a  distance  of  six  and  a  quarter  miles,  the 
river  has  several  great  bends,  making  a  very  crooked  route,  with  a  general  direction 
nearly  north,  descending  at  the  rate  of  7£  feet  per  mile. 

For  the  purpose  of  making  close  connections  with  the  surveys  of  1824  and  1828,  and 
to  aid  in  the  identification  of  prominent  points  of  those  surveys,  lines  were  surveyed 
three  miles  up  Flaugherty  Creek,  and  one  and  a  half  miles  up  Blue  Lick.  A  bench¬ 
mark  was  pointed  out  and  identified  as  one  made  by  the  surveying  party  of  1828,  under 
the  direction  of  Nathan  S.  Roberts,  chief  engineer  of  the  board  of  engineers  of  the 
Chesapeake  and  Ohio  Canal.  This  bench  was  marked  1828,  and  under  this  was  1,972, 
the  latter  being  the  elevation  of  the  summit-level  above  tide  at  Georgetown.  Our 
levels  agreed  with  this  elevation  within  one  foot. 

In  addition  to  these  examinations  a  survey  was  made  of  the  portion  of  Savage  River 
above  Blue  Lick,  and  to  the  same  summit  by  way  of  Mud  Lick  Run,  the  most  difficult 
part  of  our  work.  This  route  was  so  very  crooked  and  so  much  longer  than  the  Blue 
Lick  route  that  it  is  not  at  all  taken  into  consideration. 

The  whole  distance  thus  surveyed  was  fifty-three  miles,  closing  with  the  1st  of  Oc¬ 
tober.  The  distances  here  given  are  those  made  in  the  chaining  of  the  survey  in 
tracing  the  streams,  and  are  greater  than  given  in  the  approximate  location  for  the 
canal  for  the  purpose  of  estimating  the  cost.  One-half  the  surveying  party  was  dis¬ 
missed  on  the  1st  of  October  at  Dale  City.  Returning  to  Salisbury  the  valley  of  Cas¬ 
tleman  River  was  examined  instrumentally  as  far  up  as  Plencher’s  Narrows,  the  site  of 
one  of  the  reservoirs  proposed  in  connection  with  the  summit  of  the  Will’s  Creek 
route;  and  Meadow  Run,  a  tributary  of  Castleman  River  coming  in  from  the  east  just 
above  Salisbury,  was  traced  for  a  distance  of  two  miles. 

The  surveying  operations  were  closed  here  on  the  14th  of  October,  over  sixty  miles 
of  line  having  been  surveyed  and  leveled  in  two  and  one-half  months. 

The  valley  of  Castleman  River,  above  Salisbury,  is  a  fine  open,  agricultural  valley, 
thickly-settled,  but  not  so  rich  and  well-cultivated  as  the  portion  between  Salisbury 
and  Meyer’s  Dale  City. 

Taking  with  me  two  assistants,  I  made  a  reconnaissance  of  the  headwaters  of  the 
North  Branch,  examining  the  river  from  Fairfax’s  stone,  the  southwest  boundary-corner 
of  the  State  of  Maryland,  to  the  crossing  of  the  Northwestern  Turnpike  and  Ryan’s 
Glade  Run,  a  distance  of  some  fifteen  miles,  in  which  distance  the  river  falls  at  the  rate 
of  20  feet  per  mile.  Thence  to  Bloomington,  sonie  twenty-eight  miles,  the  fall  is  be¬ 
tween  40  and  50  feet  per  mile.  I  had  intended  making  an  examination  of  the  Black 
Water  Fork  of  Cheat  River,  which  is  just  over  the  mountain  from  the  North  Branch, 
but  a  snow-storm  of  eight  inches  depth  on  the  20th  October  prevented  the  carrying  out 
this  intention,  and  the  remaining  assistants  were  dismissed. 

The  valley  of  the  North  Branch  is  quite  favorable  for  canal  construction  except  in 
the  rapidity  of  its  rise. 

During  the  time  of  our  surveying  operations  the  streams  were  at  their  lowest  stages, 
and  excellent  opportunities  were  afforded  for  determining  their  minimum  of  supply. 
Several  gauges  of  Savage  River  and  Piney  Run  were  made ;  also  of  Castleman  River 
at  Plencher’s  Narrows. 

Mr.  C.  L.  Fulton,  assistant  engineer,  rendered  efficient  services  as  transit-man  and 
in  conduct  of  the  surveying  party,  and  Mr.  Fred.  W.  Frost,  civil  engineer,  was  a  com¬ 
petent  and  energetic  leveler ;  and  in  fact  all  the  gentlemen  of  the  party  rendered  most 
efficient  services,  under  untoward  circumstances  of  bad  weather,  with  becoming  prompt¬ 
ness  and  energy. 

HISTORY  OF  FORMER  SURVEYS. 

The  first  authoritative  move  toward  a  system  of  national  internal  improvements  was 
made  in  April,  1824,  when  Congress  passed  an  act  authorizing  the  President  u  to  cause 
the  necessary  surveys,  plans,  and  estimates  to  be  made  of  the  routes  of  such  roads  and 
canals  as  he  may  deem  of  national  importance  in  a  commercial  or  military  point  of 
view,  or  necessary  for  the  transportation  of  the  public  mail,  and  to  employ  two  or 
more  skillful  engineers  and  such  officers  of  the  Corps  of  Engineers  as  he  may  think 
proper  to  carry  this  act  into  effect.” 

In  pursuance  of  this  act,  the  then  Secretary  of  War,  John  C.  Calhoun,  constituted  a 
board  of  engineers,  consisting  of  General  Bernard,  Corps  of  Engineers,  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Totten,  Corps  of  Engineers,  and  John  L.  Sullivan,  civil  engineer,  who  entered 
at  once  upon  their  duties,  being  assisted  by  many  officers  of  the  Army  detailed  for  this 
purpose. 

The  board  made  very  complete  surveys  and  reports  on  routes  for  the  Chesapeake  and 
Ohio  Canal,  the  Ohio  and  Erie  Canal  (since  known  as  the  Sandy  and  Beaver  Canal)  in 


12 


EXTENSION  OF  THE  CHESAPEAKE  AND  OHIO  CANAL. 


Ohio ;  Ohio  and  Schuylkill  Canal,  (now  the  well  known  Pennsylvania  Canal;)  Dela¬ 
ware  and  Raritan  Canal;  James  River  and  Kanawha  Canal, and  many  other  rputes  for 
canals  and  roads. 

The  lirst  examinations  and  surveys  of  a  route  for  a  canal  to  connect  the  Chesapeake 
Bay  and  the  Ohio  River,  by  the  vailey  of  the  Potomac,  on  the  eastern,  and  the  Youg- 
hiogheuy  and  Monongahela  Valleys,  on  the  western  slopes  of  the  Alleghany  Mountains, 
were  made  in  the  summer  of  1824,  and  were  chiefly  to  determine  the  practicability  of 
the  undertaking,  and  were  almost  entirely  restricted  to  the  examination  of  the  moun¬ 
tain  or  summit  section  between  Cumberland,  on  the  north  branch  of  the  Potomac,  and 
the  junction  of  Youghiogheny  and  Castleman  Rivers,  at  Turkeyfoot. 

The  route  thus  surveyed  in  1824  was  by  the  north  branch  of  the  Potomac  to  the 
mouth  of  Savage  River,  and  by  Savage  River,  Crabtree  Creek,  and  a  branch  of  Crab¬ 
tree  Creek  to  Bear  Creek  and  Deep  Creek,  and  thence  by  the  Youghiogheny  to  Turkey- 
foot.  That  part  of  the  route  from  Cumberland  to  the  mouth  of  Savage  River  was 
surveyed  by  Maj.  J.  J.  Abert,  Topographical  Engineers,  and  the  remaining  portion  by 
Capt.  William  G.  McNeill,  Topographical  Engineers. 

The  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad  now  occupies  a  portion  of  this  route  from  Cumber¬ 
land,  but  in  ascending  the  mountains  it  diverges  to  the  south,  its  summit  being  about 
eight  miles  south  of  the  summit  of  the  canal-route. 

Several  summit-crossings  were  surveyed,  and  careful  gaugings  were  made  of  the 
streams  most  available  for  furnishing  water  for  the  summit-level,  and  an  elaborate 
report  was  prepared  by  the  board  of  engineers.  They  considered  the  route  practi¬ 
cable  with  summit-tunnels  from  one  and  a  third  to  five  and  a  half  miles  in  length, 
although  the  sum  of  the  lockages  between  Georgetown  and  Pittsburgh  was  3,837  feet, 
which  exceeded  anything  that  up  to  that  time  had  been  deemed  feasible.  The  summit- 
level  was  found  to  be  2,408  feet  above  tide.  It  was  to  be  supplied  with  water  by  means 
of  large  reservoirs  to  be  constructed  on  the  Youghiogheny  River,  at  the  point  where  it 
is  now  crossed  by  the  route  of  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad.  (See  Appendix  A.) 

During  the  next  year  a  more  careful  and  detailed  survey  was  made  “  to  determine 
the  route  to  be  recommended,  as  also  to  obtain  the  data  necessary  to  frame  a  general 
plan  of  the  work  and  a  preparatory  estimate  of  the  expense.”  The  report  of  this  year 
(1826)  was  more  complete  than  the  former  one,  and  discussed  the  character  and  gen¬ 
eral  features  of  another  route — that  by  the  Valley  of  Will’s  Creek,  leading  northerly 
and  easterly  from  Cumberland,  and  crossing  the  mountains  to  the  Valley  of  Flangh- 
erty  Creek,  which  empties  at  Meyer’s  mill  into  Castleman  River,  a  branch  of  the 
Youghiogheny  River,  which  it  joins  at  Turkeyfoot,  near  Confluence.  The  summit-level 
of  this  route  was  placed  440  feet  lower  than  the  summit-level  of  the  Deep-Creek  route, 
with  a  tunnel  four  miles  long.  The  distance  by  the  Will’s-Creek  line  is  eighteen  miles 
shorter  between  Cumberland  and  Turkeyfoot  than  by  the  Deep-Creek  line. 

The  supply  of  water  for  the  summit-level  was  to  be  provided  by  two  reservoirs  on 
Castleman  River,  the  lower  one  at  Forney’s  mill,  one  mile  below  Salisbury  and  six 
miles  from  the  west  end  of  the  tunnel-level,  and  the  upper  one  at  Plencher’s  farm, 
about  five  miles  above  Salisbury  and  about  six  miles  above  the  one  at  Forney’s  mill, 
with  which  it  was  to  be  connected  by  a  feeder.  The  water-supply  was  deemed  to  be 
more  abundant  than  on  the  Deep-Creek  route. 

A  survey  was  also  made  with  a  view  to  connect  the  reservoirs  of  the  Deep-Creek 
route  with  those  of  the  Will’s-Creek  route.  This  would  necessitate  a  feeder  of  twenty- 
five  miles  in  length  to  reach  Plencher’s  farm,  with  one  tunnel  two  miles  long,  and  an¬ 
other  five  miles  long  and  otherwise  very  expensive.  This  plan,  however,  was  deemed 
feasible. 

The  report  of  1826  was  remarkable  in  that  it  gave  a  careful  analysis  of  prices  and 
probable  costs,  based  on  units  of  labor,  of  men  and  horses,  and  on  the  cost  of  producing 
lime,  procuring  stone,  doing  earth- work,  obtaining  transportation,  &c.,  and  these  esti¬ 
mates  were  given  for  the  separate  divisions  or  sections  of  the  proposed  canal. 

A  carefully-prepared  estimate  was  given  in  detail  for  characteristic  sections  of  the 
work,  varying  from  300  yards  to  15,000  yards  in  length. 

The  dimensions  of  the  proposed  canal  were  48  feet  width  at  top  water-line,  93  feet  at 
bottom,  and  five  feet  depth  of  water. 

The  section  from  Georgetown  to  Cumberland  (one  hundred  and  eighty-six 


miles)  was  estimated  to  cost . .  $8, 177, 081 

From  Cumberland  to  Turkeyfoot,  (seventy  and  six-tenth  miles) .  10,  028. 123 

From  Turkeyfoot  to  Pittsburgh,  (eighty-five  and  one-quarter  miles) .  4, 170, 224 


Giving  an  estimated  total  cost  of .  22, 375, 428 


This  estimate  of  cost  was  so  much  greater  than  had  been  anticipated  that  all  inten¬ 
tions  of  carrying  out  the  enterprise  were  suspended. 

The  canal  company  was,  however,  granted  a  charter,  and  a  convention  was  called  to 
consider  the  conditions  controlling  the  enterprise,  and,  among  other  actions  taken, 
they  appointed  a  committee  to  revise  the  estimates  of  the  board  of  internal  improve- 


EXTENSION  OF  THE  CHESAPEAKE  AND  OHIO  CANAL.  13 


merits.  This  committee  met  at  Washington  in  December,  1826,  and  on  the  most 
reliable  information  they  could  command,  and,  based  upon  the  cost  and  contract  - 
prices  of  similar  works  then  in  progress,  they  estimated  the  cost  of  the  entire 
canal  from  Georgetown  to  Pittsburgh  at  $10,000,000.  The  estimates  of  the  board 
were  severely  criticised  as  being  very  erroneous,  and  the  then  President  of  the 
United  States,  John  Quincy  Adams,  was  influenced  to  appoint  a  commission  of  civil 
engineers  to  examine  the  two  sets  of  estimates  and  reconcile  them.  Messrs.  James 
Geddes  and  Nathan  S.  Roberts,  civil  engineers  of  high  repute,  were  appointed  to  that 
duty,  and  reported  in  1828.  They  made  the  estimated  cost  of  the  canal  from  George¬ 
town  to  Cumberland,  on  the  same  scale  of  dimensions  as  proposed  by  General  Bernard, 
$4,330,992,  whereas  the  board’s  estimate  for  the  same  section  was  $8,177,081.  This 
section  was  completed  in  October,  1850,  at  a  cost  of  $11,071,176.  Augmenting  General 
Bernard’s  estimate  by  cost  of  lands  for  right  of  way,  engineer  expenses,  damages,  and 
salaries  of  officers,  there  was  yet  a  difference  of  $2,087,816  over  General  Bernard’s  esti¬ 
mates,  an  increase  of  25  per  cent.,  but  it  is  proper  to  state  that  the  canal  as  built  from 
Georgetown  to  Harper’s  Ferry,  a  distance  of  sixty  miles,  is  60  feet  wide  at  water-line, 
42  feet  at  bottom,  and  is  6  feet  deep  ;  from  Harper’s  Ferry  for  a  distance  of  forty-live 
miles  it  is  50  feet  wide  at  water-line  and  32  feet  at  the  bottom  ;  and  thence  to  Cumber¬ 
land,  seventy-seven  and  one-half  miles,  it  is  54  feet  at  top  and  30  feet  at  bottom.  The 
depth  throughout  its  whole  length  is  6  feet.  The  locks  are  100  feet  long,  15  feet  wide, 
with  an  average  lift  of  8  feet,  and  they  will  pass  boats  of  120  tons  capacity.  Some 
difference  should  also  be  allow  ed  in  favor  of  General  Bernard’s  estimate  for  the  increase 
in  the  value  of  money  and  of  labor  from  1824  to  1850. 

I  have  been  thus  particular  in  reciting  the  history  of  these  estimates  because  that 
portion  of  them  relating  to  the  cost  of  the  canal  from  Cumberland  to  Pittsburgh  must 
at  present  be  taken  to  give  an  approximate  cost  of  the  proposed  extension  of  the 
canal  proper,  reasonable  additions  being  made  to  them  for  right  of  way,  engineering 
expenses,  and  salaries,  &c. ;  and  it  is,  therefore,  important  to  show  their  general 
correctness. 

Messrs.  Roberts  &  Cruger  also  made  a  location  of  the  canal  from  Cumberland  to 
Pittsburgh  in  1828,  following  almost  exactly  the  leading  features  of  the  plan  proposed 
by  the  board  of  internal  improvements,  as  to  route,  plans  for  reservoirs,  &c.,  excepting 
only  that  they  passed  the  summit  by  a  tunnel  from  the  same  point  on  Bowmau’s  Rim 
to  a  point  on  Blue  Lick  Creek,  instead  of  Flangherty.  Their  estimate  of  the  section 
from  Cumberland  to  Pittsburgh  was  $7,732,661,  while  that  of  the  board  of  engineers 
was  $14,198,346. 

WATER-SUPPLY. 

The  quantity  of  water  needed  to  operate  the  canal  .is  dependent  on  its  character  and 
dimensions,  the  size  and  lift  of  its  locks,  and  the  daily  tonnage  to  be  accommodated  ; 
and  if  the  canal  have  a  summit-level,  we  must  consider  its  character  and  the  length 
of  canal  on  each  side  of  the  summit,  which  must  be  supplied  therefrom. 

The  continual  losses  by  surface  evaporation,  filtration,  absorption,  and  waste  at 
weirs  and  aqueducts,  must  also  be  supplied.  All  these  sources  of  loss,  except  that  by 
evaporation,  can  be  reduced  to  reasonably  small  quantities  by  careful  construction. 

If  we  use  the  dimensions  recommended  by  the  board  of  internal  improvements,  we 
get  a  surface  width  of  48  feet,  and  locks  LOO  feet  long,  15  feet  wide,  and  8  feet  lift. 
These  locks  are  adapted  to  the  use  of  boats  of  120  tons  burden.  [The  average  tonnage 
of  the  coal-boats  now  in  use  on  the  Chesapeake  and  Ohio  Canal  is  about  112  tons.] 

Boats  alternately  up  and  down  through  the  locks  can  be  passed  at  the  rate  of  one 
boat  in  each  eight  minutes,  or,  say,  seven  per  hour,  or  one  hundred  and  sixty-eight  per 
day  of  twenty-four  hours,  which  is  equal  to  a  daily  tonnage  of  20,160  tons,  or  an  an¬ 
nual  tonnage  of  6,148,800  tons  for  ten  months  of  the  year,  the  probable  navigable  sea¬ 
son  on  this  route.  [The  greatest  number  of -boats  passed  through  one  lock  in  one  day 
on  the  Erie  Canal  was  170  in  1862.] 

The  summit-level  of  th  s  route  is  taken  at  an  elevation  of  2,100  feet  above  tide. 
Cumberland  has  an  elevation  of  603  feet,  and  the  mouth  of  Savage  River  960  feet  above 
tide,  while  the  Castlernan  River,  at  the  mouth  of  Piney  Run,  has  an  elevation  of  1,990 
feet  above  tide. 

Castlernan  River  is  a  large  stream  amply  sufficient  to  feed  the  canal  westward  from 
the  summit.  The  ascent  from  the  mouth  of  Savage  River  to  the  summit  is  at  the  rate 
of  65  feet  per  mile,  and  the  tunnel  is  designed  to  pierce  the  mountains  at  an  elevation 
about  100  feet  higher  than  the  mouth  of  Piney  Run.  There  is  not  a  sufficiency  of  wa¬ 
ter  to  feed  the  canal  on  the  eastern  slope  of  the  mountain,  above  the  mouth  of  Savage 
River,  and  a  portion  of  the  canal  must  be  supplied  from  the  summit-level. 

We  will  now  examine  the  condition  of  loss  and  supply  of  the  section  east  of  the 
summit,  with  a  view  to  determine  how  much  loss  must  needs  be  supplied  from  the  sum¬ 
mit-level. 

The  section  from  Cumberland  to  Savage  River,  thirty-one  miles  in  length,  can  cer¬ 
tainly  be  supplied  from  the  daily  discharge  of  the  North  Branch  and  Savage  River. 


14  EXTENSION  OF  THE  CHESAPEAKE  AND  OHIO  CANAL. 


Allowing  the  daily  loss  by  evaporation,  filtration,  and  absorption  and  wasfe  at  weirs 
to  amount  to  three  inches  per  day  for  each  square  foot  of  surface,  we  find  a  daily  loss 
on  this  section  of  1,964,140  cubic  feet,  (5,280  s>y  31  by  48  by  £,)  2,273  cubic  feet  per  sec¬ 
ond.  No  account  has  been  taken  of  the  leaking  and  spill  at  locks,  as  these  quantities 
may  be  considered  as  the  same  at  each  lock,  and  this  water  merely  passes  from  one 
level  to  another  in  the  same  manner  as  the  prism  of  lift,  without  loss  to  the  canal. 

Several  gaugiugs  of  Savage  River,  near  its  mouth,  gave  an  average  discharge  of  18 
cubic  feet  per  second,  and  north  branch  was  estimated  to  deliver  at  least  three  times  as 
much  more,  or  54  cubic  feet  per  second,  making  an  available  supply  of  72  cubic  feet 
per  second,  or  more  than  three  times  the  estimated  quantity  required. 

These  estimated  losses  of  water  are  taken  for  a  well-made,  puddled  canal  of  favora¬ 
ble  conditions.  A  new  canal  during  the  first  year  or  two  would  probably  lose  twice 
this  quantity  per  day  ;  and  if  the  canal  were  occupied  by  active  transportation  the 
agitation  caused  thereby  would  slightly  increase  the  loss  by  evaporation  and  waste  ; 
however,  these  causes  cannot  have  a  maximum  effect  except  when  the  canal  is  well 
filled  with  water.  No.  account  is  taken  of  the  lockage  at  present,  because  the  prism 
of  lift-water  passes  from  level  to  level  like  the  spill  and  leakage  at  the  locks.  If  pro¬ 
visions  be  made  for  feeding  the  canal  at  one  or  two  other  points  before  reaching  Cum¬ 
berland — say  at  half  way — then  the  loss  to  be  supplied  at  the  mouth  of  Savage  River 
would  be  but  one-half  that  stated  above,  or  982,100  cubic  feet,  less  th  an  12  cubic  feet  per 
second,  and  only  two-tliirds  of  the  quantity  of  water  discharged  by  Savage  River  alone. 

The  summit-level  is  at  a  distance  of  sixteen  miles  from  the  mouth  of  Savage  River, 
the  ascent  being  1,140  feet,  and  therefore  requiring  143  locks  of  8-foot  lift,  or  114  locks  of 
10-foot  lift. 

The  daily  loss  from  evaporation  on  this  section  would,  in  accordance  with  the  above 
data,  be  less  than  12  cubic  feet  per  second.  There  is  no  other  available  constant  supply 
of  water  east  of  the  summit  for  this  section  than  the  Savage  River,  which  in  August 
last  gauged  but  6  cubic  feet  per  second  at  the  mouth  of  Blue  Lick.  To  supply  the  re¬ 
maining  6  cubic  feet  per  second — 518,400  cubic  feet  per  day — during  the  months  of  July, 
August,  and  September,  will  require  a  reservoir  capacity  of  about  52,600,000  cubic  feet, 
including  a  loss  by  evaporation  of  one-quarter  of  an  inch  per  day  on  reservoirs  of  15  feet 
depth,  without  regard  to  either  steady  or  periodical  influx  during  that  time.  The 
available  places  for  reservoirs  are  the  valleys  of  Crabtree  Creek,  Monroe  Run,  Poplar- 
Lick  Run,  and  the  Savage  River,  above  the  mouth  of  Blue  Lick  Run.  Allotting  one- 
fifth  of  this  quantity  (say  10,500,000  cubic  feet)  to  each  of  the  three  first-named  places, 
we  find  that  these  reservoirs  must  be  1,800  feet  long,  500  feet  wide,  and  must  average  12 
feet  in  depth.  Allotting  to  the  Savage  River  the  remaining  two-fifths  of  the  quantity 
to  be  stored,  or  21,000,000  cubic  feet,  we  must  provide  a  reservoir  2,500  feet  long  by 
560  feet  wide,  averaging  15  feet  in  depth.  This  can  readily  be  done.  A  much  larger 
reservoir  can  be  provided  on  the  Upper  Savage  than  is  herein  required,  the  valley 
being  very  favorable  in  its  topography,  as  was  developed  by  our  survey-  That  these 
reservoirs  would  be  filled  in  the  spring  months  is  beyond  doubt,  as  an  influx  of  4  cubic 
feet  per  second  would  fill  either  of  the  smaller  ones  in  thirty  days,  and  the  larger  one 
in  double  that  time  ;  and  all  these  streams  deliver  from  10  to  20  cubic  feet  per  second 
in  March  or  April,  when  the  snows  are  melting  ;  while  only  two-fifths  of  a  cubic  foot 
per  second  is  needed  to  replace  the  evaporation  on  one  of  the  smaller  reservoirs. 

We  come  now  to  consider  the  summit-level  with  a  tunnel  of  five  miles  in  length, 
and  a  basin  at  each  id  one-half  a  mile  long  and  32  feet  wide,  the  tunnel  itself  having 
32  feet  width  of  water.  The  evaporation  in  the  tunnel  may  be  taken  as  nothing,  as  in 
fact  there  is  always  an  infiltration  at  tunnels  that  may  be  utilized  in  this  case,  and 
assuming  that  the  tunnel  may  be  brick-lined,  we  need  only  consider  the  loss  by  evap¬ 
oration,  &c.,  on  the  two  basins,  or  open  portions,  and  that  by  leakage  and  spill,  at  the 
locks  at  each  end  of  this  level.  The  latter  may  be  taken  at  1,000  cubic  feet  per  hour 
at  each  lock.  Assuming  as  before  the  daily  loss  by  evaporation,  absorption,  and  filtra¬ 
tion  at  3  inches  of  depth  per  day,  we  obtain  for  one  mile  of  canal  a  loss  of  42,240  cubic 
feet  per  day,  whi  h,  increased  by  48,000  cubic  feet  for  loss  at  locks,  gives  a  total  waste 
on  the  summit-level  of  90,240  cubic  feet  per  day.  But  the  loss  from  evaporation,  &c., 
between  the  tunnel  and  the  mouth  of  Piney  Run  on  the  west,  and  the  mouth  of  Blue 
Lick  on  the  east,  a  total  distance  of  nine  and  a  half  miles,  must  also  be  supplied  from 
the  summit-level,  and  this  causes  an  additional  daily  loss  of  601,920  cubic  feet,  making 
a  total  daily  loss,  which  must  be  made  good,  of  692,160  cubic  feet  per  day. 

To  determine  the  quantity  of  water  drawn  from  the  summit-level  by  lockage,  we 
must  assume  that  a  certain  number  of  boats  will  pass  the  summit  daily.  If  boats 
follow  each  other  in  the  same  direction  over  a  summit-level,  each  will  take  from  this 
level  two  lockfuls  of  water ;  but  if  they  alternate  uniformly,  boat  with  boat,  then  each 
boat  draws  off  but  one  lockful  of  water.  For  the  purposes  of  this  estimate,  we  will 
assume  that  two-thirds  of  the  boats  passing  daily  are  going  in  the  same  direction,  and 
the  other  third  in  the  contrary  direction,  and  thus  each  boat  may  be  charged  as  draw¬ 
ing  off  one  and  a  half  lockfuls  each,  equal  to  18,000  cubic  feet. 

We  will  for  the  present  consider  the  daily  tonnage  to  equal  100  boats  per  day,  re- 


EXTENSION  OF  THE  CHESAPEAKE  AND  OHIO  CANAL.  15 


quiring  1,800,000  cubic  feet  of  water  for  lockage  daily,  to  which  add  the  daily  loss  from 
evaporation,  absorption,  filtration,  and  leakage  heretofore  found,  (672,160  cubic  feet,) 
and  we  have  a  total  daily  loss  on  the  summit-level  of  2,492,160  cubic  feet  or  28.8  cubic 
feet  per  second. 

The  only  available  source  of  supply  for  feeding  this  summit-level  is  Castlemau 
River,  into  whose  valley  the  tunnel  opens.  The  elevation  of  the  summit-level  has 
been  taken  with  special  reference  to  obtaining  the  necessary  feed-water  from  the 
Plencher  reservoir  on  Castlemau  River,  which  was  originally  designed  for  the  Will’s 
Creek  route.  The  average  supply  or  discharge  of  the  river  is  greater  than  the  quan¬ 
tity  required,  as  the  following  gauging  will  show  : 

Cubic  feet. 


June  21, 1825,  at  Plencher’s,  per  second . - .  18 

July  10,  1825,  below  Flaugherty,  per  second . .  38 

July  12, 1825,  mouth  Flaugherty,  per  second .  46 

March  21, 1825,  at  Plencher’s,  per  second . . .  98 

March  21,  1825,  below  mouth  of  Piney,  per  second .  536 


At  the  time  of  our  survey  a  gauging  of  the  river  at  Plencher’s  Narrows  gave  25  cubic 
feet  per  second. 

Taking  the  same  capacity  of  reservoirs  as  that  proposed  by  the  board  of  internal 
improvements,  namely,  126,333,780  cubic  feet,  this  amount  would  be  furnished  in  fif 
teen  days,  according  to  the  gauging  of  March  21.  If  we  assume  that  only  half  of  this 
daily  supply  could  be  expected,  we  yet  find  that  the  reservoir  could  be  filled  in  any  one 
of  the  spring  months. 

This  reservoir  was  stated  to  have  a  surface-area  of  9,365,400  square  feet,  from  which 
the  daily  evaporation,  at  a  rate  of  one-fourth  of  an  inch  per  day,  would  be  195,120 
cubic  feet,  giving  the  total  daily  consumption  and  loss  as  follows: 


Cubic  feet. 

Lockage  of  100  boats .  1,  800,  000 

Evaporation,  &c.,  summit-level .  ...  90,  240 

Evaporation,  &c.,  on  9^  miles  of  canal .  601, 920 


Total  daily  consumption . . . .  2,  582, 160 


This  is  at  the  average  rate  of  31  cubic  feet  per  second.  It  may  be  safely  assumed 
that  this  daily  consumption  would  be  met  by  the  average  daily  discharge  of  the  river, 
except  during  the  months  of  July,  August,  and  September,  but  during  these  months 
the  natural  flow,  at  a  rate  of  18  cubic  feet  per  second,  the  lowest  gauging  given,  would 
put  into  the  reservoir  1,555,200  cubic  feet  per  day,  leaving  only  1,133,440  cubic  feet  to 
be  supplied  from  the  previous  accumulations.  At  this  rate  the  reservoir  would  not  be 
emptied  u  less  than  one  hundred  and  eleven  days,  or  in  four  months  less  nine  days, 
even  if  there  should  be  no  rain-fall  during  the  months  named. 

In  addition  to  this  supply,  a  reservoir  is  practicable  on  Meadow  Run,  and  another,  of 
a  probable  capacity  of  25,000,000  cubic  feet,  on  Piney  Run,  which  has  a  supply  of  3 
feet  per  secon*  .  at  Findlay’s  Mill  during  the  average  summer  discharge.  Assuming  for 
the  Meadow  Creek  reservoir  an  equal  capacity  and  a  depth  of  10  feet  in  each,  the  loss 
by  evaporation  would  be  for  both  104.200  cubic  feet  per  day,  and  the  influx  (allowing 
only  two  feet  per  second  for  Meadow  Run)  432,000  cubic  feet  per  day. 

The  Meadow  Rim  feeder  would  probably  be  about  one  mile  in  length,  and  the  Piney 
Run  feeder  about  three  and  one-half  miles.  Assuming  each  feeder  to  have  a  width  of 
20  feet,  we  thus  have  a  total  feeder-surface  for  these  two  reservoirs  of  four  aud  one- 
half  miles  in  length  and  20  feet  in  width.  According  to  our  previous  allowance  of  3 
inches  vertical  on  each  square  foot  for  losses  by  all  causes,  we  have  a  total  daily  loss  on 
these  two  feeders  of  118,800  cubic  feet. 

We  would  thus  have  a  storage  capacity  of  176,333,780  cubic  feet,  and  a  daily  flow 
into  the  reservoirs  of  1,987,200  cubic  feet.  On  the  other  hand,  we  have  a  daily  con¬ 
sumption  on  the  canal  of  2,582,160  cubic  feet,  and  a  daily  loss  on  reservoirs  and  feeders 
of  418,120  cubic  feet.  The  daily  drain  on  the  supply  stored  would  therefore  be 
1,013,080  cubic  feet,  which  would'  not  exhaust  them  in  less  than  174  days,  or  about  six 
months.  If  the  total  influx  were  but  12£  cubic  feet  per  second,  the  reservoir  would 
last  92  days,  even  should  the  canal  be  worked  to  its  maximum  capacity  throughout 
the  driest  season  of  the  year,  conditions  that  seldom  occur  and  act  conjointly  for  the 
whole  season  of  the  three  dry  months.  Any  less  amount  of  business  than  has  been 
assumed,  (equal  to  3,600,000  tons  during  a  navigation  season  of  ten  months,  and  the 
tonnage  of  the  Erie  Canal  is  given  as  3,562,500  tons  for  1872,)  or  any  rain-fall  during 
the  months  named,  renders  more  certain  the  adequacy  of  the  supply;  and  only  the 
careless  construction  of  the  canal  and  its  appurtenances,  or  the  increase  of  business 
over  that  supposed,  or  a  more  protracted  drought  than  has  ever  been  known  in  this 
region,  can  render  the  supply  inadequate. 


16  EXTENSION  OF  THE  CHESAPEAKE  AND  OHIO  CANAL. 


The  data  used  for  evaporation,  absorption,  and  filtration  and  waste,  are  the  averages 
of  the  best  authorities,  and  they  are  50  per  cent,  greater  than  are  taken  for  the  canals 
of  Great  Britain. 

If  we  consider  the  summit  supply  as  dependent  on  the  average  annual  rain-fall  and 
the  catchment-basins,  we  find  that  the  catchment-basin  of  the  Pleucher  reservoir  is 
very  nearly  twelve  miles  long  and  five  miles  wide,  and  has  an  area  of  sixty  square, 
miles.  The  average  annual  rain-fall  at  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  was  34.96  inches  for  eighteen 
years ;  at  Marietta,  Ohio,  41.58  inches  for  twenty-eight  years  ;  at  Portsmouth,  Ohio, 
38.20  iuches  for  fifteen  years;  at  Carlisle,  Pa.,  34.00  inches  for  six  years;  and  at 
Gettysburg!),  Pa.,  38.80  inches  for  seven  years.  If  we  take  an  average  of  these  as  rep¬ 
resenting  the  annual  rain-fall  for  the  region  under  consideration,  we  get  38  inches  per 
annum.  Applying  this  to  the  catchment-area  given,  and  assuming  that  but  one-third 
of  the  quantity  is  caught  by  the  reservoir,  we  have  an  annual  quantity  of  1,698,965,300 
cubic  feet,  enough  to  fill  the  reservoir  thirteen  times  ;  and  the  Piney  Run  reservoir, 
with  a  catchment-area  of  twelve  square  miles,  would  also  be  filled  thirteen  times  ;  the 
total  annual  supply  by  rain-fall  being2, 038, 758, 360  cubic  feet,  which  gives  an  adequate 
supply  for  the  uses  of  the  canal  during  a  period  of  twenty-five  months,  with  allowances 
for  evaporation  of  reservoirs  and  loss  in  feeding. 

Again,  if  we  take  an  average  of  the  gaugiugs  in  March  and  June  as  representing  the 
available  rain-fall  that  will  be  caught  by  the  Pleucher  reservoir,  we  get  1,829,088,000 
cubic  feet  as  the  annual  supply ;  whereas  the  consumption  for  the  uses  of  the  canal 
would  be  for  ten  months  780,000,000  cubic  feet,  or  only  about  43  per  cent,  of  the  esti¬ 
mated  supply.  This  estimate  of  consumption  is  twice  as  great  as  that  assumed  by  the 
board  of  internal  improvements. 

The  changed  conditions  with  reference  to  the  Forney-mill  reservoir,  considered 
essential  to  the  supply  of  water  for  the  Will’s  Creek  route,  renders  it  of  doubtful  pres¬ 
ent  practicability.  Its  site  is  at  the  mouth  of  Piney  Run,  with  a  dam  one-quarter  of 
a  mile  below,  and  the  height  proposed  would  raise  the  water  to  a  contour-line  30  feet 
above  the  present  surface  of  the  mill-dam  at  that  place ;  would  reach  nearly  one-fourth 
the  distance  to  Plencher’s  Narrows,  and  nearly  a  half  mile  up  Piney  Run ;  would  flood 
the  road  from  Salisbury  toward  Meyer’s  Dale  City  for  a  distance  of  half  a  mile,  and 
would  submerge  the  bridge  at  Livengood’s  mill,  and  the  one  at  the  mouth  of  Piney 
Run ;  it  would  also  cover  the  road  and  bridge  toward  Grantsville,  about  one  mile  of  a 
graded  railroad,  to  a  depth  of  from  10  to  20  feet,  two  mills  now  in  operation,  a  large 
area  of  valuable  meadow  farming-laud,  and  a  part  of  the  surveyed  site  of  the  town  of 
Salisbury. 

A  low  dam  now  in  use  on  this  site,  if  made  tight,  would  save  the  water-supply  for 
feeding  the  canal  below  the  mouth  of  the  Piney  Run. 

I  have  personally  examined  Castleman  River  to  some  distance  above  Plencher’s 
Narrows,  and  find  that  a  reservoir  of  considerable  capacity  may  be  constructed  at  the 
crossing  of  the  national  road,  about  two  miles  above  Plencher’s.  That  would  be  a  very 
useful  auxiliary  for  storing  water  for  the  summit-level,  saving  a  portion  of  the  drain¬ 
age  that  iu  spring  floods  would  waste  over  the  Pleucher  dam. 

There  is  yet  another  source  of  supply  for  the  summit-level  on  the  Upper  Savage  at 
the  crossing  of  the  Lonaconing  road,  where  the  elevation  of  the  stream  is  2,180  feet  at 
the  distance  of  five  and  a  half  miles  from  the  mouth  of  Blue  Lick.  The  topography  is 
very  favorable  for  a  large  reservoir — say  of  a  capacity  of  80,000,000  cubic  feet.  Thus 
the  summit  supply  would  be  increased  by  nearly  50  per  cent,  and  furthermore  provide 
an  ample  supply  to  replace  the  loss  by  evaporation  on  the  fourteen-mile  section  from 
the  summit-level  to  the  month  of  Savage  River.  If  reasonable  expense  were  incurred 
in  puddling  or  lining  the  feeders,  with  a  view  to  reduce  the  loss  in  transmission  of 
supply  to  a  minimum,  the  supply  of  water  would  be  sufficient  for  the  most  active 
business  of  the  canal. 

The  tunnel  enters  the  valley  of  Castleman  immediately  at  the  Plencher  reservoir, 
and  there  would  not  be  any  loss  on  feeding  therefrom,  but  the  feeders  from  Meadow 
Run  and  Piney  Run,  if  brought  to  the  summit-level,  should  probably  be  lined,  but  if 
fed  into  the  canal  at  shortest  distances  they  would  not  need  to  be  lined. 

ESTIMATE  OF  COST. 

In  making  this  estimate  of  cost  I  have  adhered  to  the  dimensions  recommended  by 
the  board  of  internal  improvements  in  their  report  of  1826,  viz  :  48  feet  width  at  water¬ 
line  ;  33  feet  width  at  bottom,  and  5  feet  depth  of  water;  locks  100  feet  long,  15  feet 
wide,  and  of  8  feet  lift ;  because  reference  must  be  had  to  the  quantities  of  work  to  be 
done  as  estimated  by  them  between  Cumberland  and  the  mouth  of  Savage  River,  and 
from  Meyer’s  Mill  to  Pittsburgh.  These  dimensions  are  very  nearly  the  same  as  those 
of  the  completed  canal  between  Harper’s  Ferry  and  Cumberland,  a  distance  of  one 
hundred  and  twenty-five  miles,  equal  to  two-thirds  of  the  length  of  the  finished  canal. 


EXTENSION  OF  THE  CHESAPEAKE  AND  OHIO  CANAL.  17 

Section  from  Cumberland  to  mouth  of  Savage  Biver,  length  thirty-one  miles,  lockage  334  feet. 

1,336,600  cubic  yards  excavation,  earth,  at  30  cents  per  yard .  $400,  980 

300,000  cubic  yards  excavation,  rock,  at  $1.25  per  yard .  375,  000 

1,300,000  cubic  yards  embankment,  at  20  cents .  260,  000 

200,000  cubic  yards  retaining-wall,  at  $1.50 .  300,000 

270,000  cubic  yards  puddling,  at  10  cents  extra . ..  27,  000 

40  culverts,  (arches,)  at  $2,000  each .  80,000 

42  locks,  8  feet  lift,  at  $15,000  each .  630,  000 

2  aqueducts,  120  feet  and  210  feet,  (wooden) .  10, 500 

1,000  cubic  yards  aqueduct  masonry,  at  $10 .  10,  000 

4  waste-weirs,  $3,000  each . . .  12,  000 

30  farm-bridges,  at  $450  .  13,  500 

5  miles  grubbing  and  clearing .  1, 250 

3  dams,  at  $3,000  each .  9,  000 

400  acres  land-damag;es,  at  $50 . . . . . . .  20,  000 

Special  damages,  water-powers .  15,  000 

Engineering  and  superintendence .  75,000 


Sum  of  items .  2, 239, 230 

Contingencies,  10  per  cent . . .  223,  923 


Cost  of  thirty-one  miles,  averaging  $79,456.55  .  2,  463, 153 


These  quantities  are  made  from  a  comparison  of  those  of  the  board  of  internal  im¬ 
provements,  and  those  of  Messrs.  Roberts  and  Auger.  Adding  the  items  of  farm- 
bridges,  waste-weirs,  land  and  special  damages,  and  engineering  superintendence, 
growing  out  of  the  changed  conditions  of  then  and  now,  the  average  cost  per  mile  of 
this  section,  by  the  board  of  internal  improvements,  was  $59,476. 

From  the  mouth  of  Savage  Biver  to  Crabtree  Creek,  distance  five  and  a  half  miles,  lockage 

388  feet. 


150,000  cubic  yards  excavation,  earth,  at  30  cents .  $45,  000 

50,000  cubic  yards  excavation,  rock,  at  $1.20 .  60,  000 

80,000  cubic  yards  embankment,  at  20  cents .  16,  000 

10,560  cubic  yards  retaining-wall,  at  $1.50 .  15,840 

40,000  cubic  yards  puddling,  at  10  cents  extra .  4,  000 

3  culverts,  at  $1,500  each .  4,  500 

48  locks,  at  $13, '500  each . . ;  .  648,  000 

1  aqueduct .  3,000 

900  cubic  yards  masonry,  at  $8 . . .  7,  200 

5  miles  grubbing  and  clearing,  at  $300 . .  1,  500 

Dam  and  feeder,  Crabtree  Creek .  15, 000 

2  dams .  .  3,  000 

Engineering  and  superintendence .  12,500 


Sum  of  items .  835,540 

Contingencies,  10  per  cent .  83,  554 


‘Cost  of  5£  miles,  averaging  $167, 108 .  919, 094 


The  rock-excavation  on  this  section  is  a  sandstone  stratum,  and  more  cheaply  worked, 
and  being  of  a  quality  suitable  for  the  required  masonry,  and  close  at  hand,  the  ma¬ 
sonry  can  be  more  cheaply  done.  The  average  cost  is  great;  but  there  are  nine  locks 
per  mile,  making  more  than  70  per  cent,  of  the  cost. 

From  Crabtree  Creek  to  summit-level,  distance  eleven  miles,  lockage  732  feet. 


800,000  cubic  yards  excavation,  earth,  at  30  cents .  $240,  000 

400,000  cubic  yards  embankment,  at  20  cents . .  80,  000 

140,000  cubic  yards  puddling,  at  10  cents  extra . .  14,’  000 

10  culverts,  at  $1,500  each .  15s  000 

92  locks,  at  $13,500  each .  1,  242*  000 

10  miles  grubbing  and  clearing .  ’  2,  500 

5  crossing-bridges,  at  $450 .  2*250 

5,000  cubic  yards  protection,  at  $1.25 . . .  6*  250 

2  reservoirs  and  feeders .  20  000 

H.  Ex.  203 - 


•2 


18  EXTENSION  OF  THE  CHESAPEAKE  AND  OHIO  CANAL. 


1  reservoir  and  feeder . . ’ .  $15,000 

Engineering  and  superintendence .  25, 000 

Sum  of  items .  1,062,000 

Contingencies,  10  per  cent .  166, 200 

Cost  of  11  miles,  averaging  $166, 200 .  1,  828, 200 


On  this  section  ninety-two  locks  make  two-thirds  of  its  cost.  The  reservoirs  for 
Monroe  Run,  Poplar  Lick,  and  the  Upper  Savage  are  included. 

Summit-level,  six  and  a  half  miles  long. 

This  level  comprises  a  tunnel  five  miles  long  and  approach-basin3  each  three-quar¬ 
ters  of  a  mile  long.  The  dimensions  of  the  tunnel  are  giveu  by  a  segmeutal  circular 
section  of  32  feet  diameter,  with  a  height  of  26  feet  from  bottom  of  tunnel  to  crown  of 
arch,  providing  a  waste-way  25  feet  on  bottom,  6  feet  deep,  and  32  feet  ou  top,  and  a 
head-way  of  20  feet;  the  iiuing  to  be  of  the  best  hard  brick,  with  a  thickness  of  18 
inches  all  around  the  section.  Horizontal  fenders  are  to  be  laid  at  water-line,  to  act  as 
fenders  for  passing  boats  and  to  protect  the  brick-masonry  from  injury.  The  approaches 
are  to  give  a  top  water-line  of  32  feet  and  a  bottom  width  of  25  feet,  (in  rock-cutting.) 

No  provision  is  made  for  a  tow-path,  because  the  additional  cost  of  doing  so,  say 
$500,000,  would,  at  7  per  cent,  interest,  maintain  and  operate  five  tug-boats,  enough 


for  the  business  of  100  boats  per  day. 

870,000  cubic  yards  excavation,  tunnel,  at  $5 .  $4,  350,  000 

2,500  cubic  yards  excavation,  shafts,  at  $5 .  12,500 

81,000,000  brick,  lining  of  tunnel,  at  $25  per  thousand .  2,025,000 

600,000  brick,  lining  of  shafts,  at  $25  per  thousand .  15,  000 

180,000  feet  (board-measure)  fenders,  at  $30  per  thousand .  5,  640 

200,000  cubic  yards  rock-excavation,  approaches,  at  $1.25 .  250,000 

20,000  cubic  yards  concrete-filling  about  arch,  at  $10 .  200,  000 

10,000  cubic  yards  puddling,  at  30  cents .  3,  000 

44,000  cubic  yards  filling  on  top  of  arch,  at  $1 .  44,000 

Engineering  and  superintendence,  5  years . .  50,000 


Sum  of  items .  6,955,140 

Contingencies,  20  per  cent .  1,  391,  028 


Cost  of  summit-level .  8, 346, 168 


From  summit-level  to  the  mouth  of  Piney,five  and  a  quarter  miles. 

300,000  cubic  yards  excavation,  earth,  at  30  cents .  $90, 000 

50,000  cubic  yards  excavation,  rock,  at  $1.25 .  62,  500 

200,000  cubic  yards  embankment,  at  20  cents .  40,  000 

60,000  cubic  yards  puddling,  at  10  cents  extra .  6,  000 

8  culverts,  at  $1,500  each .  12, 000 

1  aqueduct  over  Piney  Run .  5,  000 

16  locks,  at  $15,000  each . . . .  240,  000 

450  cubic  yards  abutment-masonry,  at  $8 .  3,  600 

Grubbing  and  clearing . - .  600 

6  bridge-crossings,  at  $450 .  2,  700 

Land-damages .  10,  000 

Engineering  and  superintendence .  10, 000 


Sum  of  items .  482,  400 

Contingencies,  10  per  cent .  48,240 

Cost  of  64  miles,  (averaging  $81,636.90) .  530, 640 


From  mouth  of  Piney  to  Meyer’s  Mill,  six  and  a  quarter  miles. 

200,000  cubic  yards  excavation,  (earth,)  at  30  cents  . .  $60,000 

30,000  cubic  yards  excavation,  (rock,)  at  $1.50 .  45,  000 

500,000  cubic  yards  embankment,  at  20  cents .  100,  000 

50,000  cubic  yards  puddling,  at  10  cents  extra .  5,  000 

3,000  cubic  yards  protection,  at  $1.25  . .  3,750 

6  locks,  at  $15,000  each .  90, 000 

8  culverts,  at  $1,500 .  12, 000 

10  crossing-bridges,  at  $450  each .  4, 500 

Grubbing  and  clearing  .  300 

1  aqueduct  for  Elk  Lick .  4, 500 


EXTENSION  OF  THE  CHESAPEAKE  AND  OHIO  CANAL. 


19 


Repairing  dam  at  moutli  of  Piney,  &c .  $5,  000 

1  waste- weir .  1,  800 

Laud-damage,  100  acres,  at  $100  . .  10,  000 

450  cubic  yards  abutment-masonry,  at  $8 .  3,  600 

Eugiueeriug  and  superintendence .  15, 000 

Sum  of  items .  360,  000 

Contingencies,  10  per  cent .  36,  000 


Cost  of  5|  miles,  averaging  $72,000 .  396,  000 


PLENCHER  RESERVOIR  AND  FEEDER. 

Dam  with  regulating  and  outlet-pipes .  $35,  000 

Meadow  and  Piney  Run  reservoirs  and  feeders .  60, 000 


Sum  of  items,  summit  feeders .  95,  000 


From  Meyers’  Mills  to  the  vicinity  of  Connellsville  the  board  of  internal  improve¬ 
ments  considered  the  work  in  three  characteristic  sections. 

The  first  section  west  from  Meyers’  Mills  of  sixteen  and  one-eighth  miles,  with  216 
feet  of  lockage  and  27  locks,  was  estimated  to  cost  $1,240,216,  averaging  $76,912.62  per 
mile.  Deducting  therefrom  one  and  one-eighth  miles  from  the  summit-level  to  the  val¬ 
ley,  where  our  line  would  join  theirs,  we  get  thus  : 


1st  section,  fifteen  miles,  192  feet  lockage .  $1, 163, 304 

2d  section,  nineteen  and  six-tenths  miles,  420  feet  lockage .  1,  457,  317 

3d  section,  twenty-seven  and  one-half  miles,  432  feet  lockage .  1, 515, 437 


Meyers’  Mills  to  Connellsville,  sixty-two  miles .  4, 138, 058 

Increasing  this  estimate  at  the  rate  of  25  per  cent,  as  found  to  apply  to  the 
section  between  Cumberland  and  Savage  River .  1,  034, 515 


Sum  representing  estimate .  5, 172, 573 

Contingencies,  10  per  cent .  517, 257 


Cost  of  sixty-two  miles,  averaging  $91,771.45  .  5, 689, 830 


I  have  carried  the  estimate  as  far  as  Connellsville  for  the  reason  that  I  am  informed 
that  a  company  has  been  formed  and  incorporated  by  the  State  of  Pennsylvania  for  the 
purpose  of  establishing  slack-water  navigation  as  far  east  on  this  line  as  Connellsville, 
or  Ohio  Pile  Falls;  and  the  section  from  Cumberland  to  Connellsville  represents  fairly 
the  extent  of  canal  needed  to  be  provided  to  complete  the  water-line  to  Pittsburgh. 


The  recapitulation  is  as  follows : 

Cumberland  to  Savage  River,  31  miles .  $2, 463, 153 

Mouth  of  Savage  to  Crabtree,  5£  miles..- . . .  919,094 

Crabtree  to  Summit,  11  miles . 1 .  1,  828,200 

Summit-level  and  tunnel,  6|  miles .  8,  346, 168 

Summit  to  mouth  of  Piney,  5£  miles .  530, 640 

Piney  to  Meyers’  Mills,  6^  miles .  396,000 

Reservoirs  and  feeders,  (Summit) .  95,000 

Meyers’  Mills  to  Connellsville,  62  miles .  5,  689,  830 

Cumberland  to  Connellsville,  127 £  miles,  averaging  $158,887  per  mile. ....  20, 268,  085 

Comparing  this  estimate  of  cost  with  that  of  the  board  of  internal  improvements 
for  the  same  section  of  work  between  the  same  places,  we  have  from  their  estimate  ; 

Cumberland  to  Summit-level . . .  $3,856,624 

Summit-level .  3,471,967 

Summit  to  mouth  of  Castleman .  2,  699,  532 

Castleman  to  Connellsville .  1,  515,  437 


Total,  including  reservoirs  and  feeders .  11, 543, 560 

If  the  tunnel  aud  approaches  had  been  taken  of  the  same  dimensions  as 

for  the  Savage  River  route,  they  would  have  added . . .  650,  000 


Making  a  total  of .  12, 193, 560 

Adding  25  per  cent.,  as  before .  3, 048,  390 


We  have .  15,241,950 

Contingencies,  10  per  cent .  1, 524, 195 


Cost  of  ninety-eight  miles,  averaging  $171,083 . . .  16, 766, 145 

Showing  an  average  $12, 739  more  per  mile  than  by  ur  estimate. 


20  EXTENSION  OF  THE  CHESAPEAKE  AND  OHIO  CANAL. 


The  difference  between  the  two  estimates  of  $3,501,890,  if  reduced  by  the  cost  of  the 
increased  number  of  locks  and  greater  length  of  tunnel  on  the  Savage  River  route,  will 
be  but  $2,003,000,  reducing  the  average  cost  per  mile  to  $147,207,  indicating  the  more 
favorable  character  of  the  route  in  regard  to  cost  of  construction,  as  was  stated  in  the 
description  of  the  character  of  the  route. 

If,  in  further  comparison  of  the  Will’s  Creek  and  Savage  River  routes  with  reference 
to  their  costs  uow,  we  take  into  consideration  that  the  Will’s  Creek  route  between 
Cumberland  and  Meyers’  Mills  is  occupied  by  a  railroad  in  operation  holding  almost 
the  very  ground  on  which  the  canal  was  located,  in  a  valley  of  which  a  great  portion 
is  not  wide  enough  for  two  such  works,  and  wherein  the  canal  would  necessarily  have 
to  be  located  across  the  railroad  several  times  under  the  most  unfavorable  conditions, 
and  with  a  second  railroad  between  Cumberland  and  Little  Will’s  Creek,  a  distance 
of  fifteen  miles,  the  present  recast  of  the  former  estimate  would  fall  far  short  of  the  ex¬ 
traordinary  expenses  that  are  contingent  upon  the  above  conditions.  It  may  be  af¬ 
firmed  of  the  Savage  River  route  that  “  it  would  not  cost  more  than  the  Will’s  Creek  route.” 

The  tunnel  on  the  Deep  Creek  route  was  planned  for  a  length  of  one  and  one-third 
miles,  but  the  western  deep  cut  approach  would  he  jive  and  one-quaYter  miles  long. 

The  quantities  given  in  this  estimate  of  cost  are  as  correct  as  may  be,  without  a  more 
detailed  survey  and  a  definite  location.  The  line  of  the  proposed  tunnel  could  not  be 
surveyed  to  determine  its  precise  length,  nor  the  character  of  the  approaches  thereto, 
nor  the  location  and  depth  of  shafts,  all  which  were  determined  from*  the  preliminary 
survey.  It  is  but  a  reasonable  presumption  that  a  careful  study  of  the  ground  would 
indicate  a  somewhat  shorter  tunnel  by  correction  of  chaining  and  plat,  and  indicate 
favorable  places  for  the  approaches  thereto,  that  would  reduce  the  estimate  of  cost. 

The  strata  that  would  be  pierced  by  the  tunnel  are  inclined  at  angles  of  15°  to  20°, 
are  carboniferous,  and  contain  a  portion  of  the  11  lower  coal-measures,”  as  described  in 
Professor  Lesley’s  report.  The  unfavorable  condition  of  the  pierced  strata  would  ne¬ 
cessitate  the  lining  of  the  water-section  of  the  tunnel  to  preserve  the  summit  feed- 
water. 

The  tunnel  is  presumed  to  be  operated  by  steam-tugs,  for  the  reason  that  a  sufficient 
number  of  them  can  be  maintained  and  operated  to  accommodate  the  presumed  business 
of  the  canal  at  a  cost  far  less  than  the  interest  on  the  cost  of  increasing  the  size  of 
the  tunnel,  so  as  to  provide  it  with  towing-paths;  it  is,  however,  wide  enough  to  be 
operated  in  both  directions  at  the  same  time,  as  it  was  thought  that  the  delays  in  ope¬ 
rating  a  long  tunnel  only  wide  enough  for  one  boat  would  be  very  burdensome  to 
business.  Assuming  a  speed  of  three  miles  per  hour  through  the  tunnel,  boats  arriv¬ 
ing  shortly  after  a  convoy  had  started  through  would  be  detained  nearly  four  hours,  and 
while  waiting,  if  the  season  were  a  busy  one,  boats  would  rapidly  accumulate  until  there 
would  be  more  than  could  be  taken  through  in  one  convoy,  and  a  blockade  that  could 
not  be  remedied  would  be  formed  ;  in  the  same  manner  a  narrow  tunnel  with  a  tow- 
path  would  cause  a  still  more  serious  obstruction  to  business,  as  a  convoy  would  con¬ 
sume  at  least  three  hours  in  passing  through  the  tunnel,  and  thus  there  would  be 
greater  delays  and  unavoidable  blockades.  If  steam  should  be  brought  to  supersede 
horse-power  on  the  canal,  the  tunnel  would  be  favorably  conditioned  for  accommodat¬ 
ing  the  maximum  traffic  that  could  pass  through  the  other  portions  of  the  canal. 

The  tunnel  could  be  operated  with  an  endless  chain,  or  wire-rope,  worked  by  station¬ 
ary  machinery,  or  by  pneumatic  tubes  fixed  on  the  sides  of  the  tunnel  in  connection 
with  fixed  engines,  so  arranged  as  to  tow  single  boats  at  from  four  to  six  miles  per 
hour. 

The  present  state  of  the  enterp/ise  does  not  warrant  an  investigation  of  these  sug¬ 
gestions. 

An  examination  has  been  begun  to  determine  the  conditions  governing  the  introduc¬ 
tion  of  inclined  planes  as  substitutes  for  locks,  their  economic  value  as  to  cost,  and 
economy  of  time,  and  water-supply,  and  their  applicability  for  carrying  canal  transit- 
routes  over  high  mountain-ranges. 

COMMERCIAL  IMPORTANCE. 

Of  the  importance  to  be  attached  to  the  extension  of  the  Chesapeake  and  Ohio  Canal 
as  one  of  the  water-lines  of  transportation  between  the  Atlantic  seaboard  and  the  great 
cereal- producing  region  of  the  great  Mississippi  Valley,  nothing  can  be  added  to  the 
volumes  that  have  been  devoted  to  that  subject  since  Washington  first  interested  him¬ 
self  in  the  scheme  of  improving  the  navigation  of  the  Potomac  River,  with  the  ultimate 
purpose  of  bringing  tbe  products  of  the  then  West  to  the  seaboard  by  this  route. 

The  unparalleled  development  of  the  great  West  into  a  dense  population  of  agricul¬ 
turalists  and  collaborators  renders  the  necessity  of  extension  of  this  route  urgent,  and 
the  condition  of  monopolies  controlling  the  transportation  of  the  products  of  the  West, 
establishing  the  condition  of  middlemen  between  the  consumers  and  producers  at  a 
ruinous  cost,  bring  about  the  clamorous  demands  for  its  early  completion. 

Tbe  products  of  the  region  referred  to  may  be  stated  as  40,000,000  tons,  of  which 


EXTENSION  OF  THE  CHESAPEAKE  AND  OHIO  CANAL.  21 


25,000,000  tons,  at  least,  are  destined  for  market.  The  capacities  for  carrying  this  east¬ 
ward  are  as  follows,  based  upon  the  work  done  by  the  routes  named : 


The  Erie  Canal  carries  in  one  year,  tons . 2, 640, 000 

The  Erie  Railway,  tons . - .  895, 000 

The  Pennsylvania  Railroad,  tons .  880,000 

The  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad,  tons .  600,  000 

The  New  York  Central  Railroad . . . . . 1, 200,  000 

The  other  railway  lines,  say,  tons .  500, 000 

Total . . . 6,715, 000 


Showing  that  only  about  one-fourth  of  the  products  seeking  a  market  come  direct  to 
the  east,  and  that  more  than  one-third  seeks  the  cheapness  of  the  water-line. 

The  necessity  and  utility  of  additional  cheap  water-lines  of  transportation  is  appa¬ 
rent.  Further  illustration  of  the  utility  of  this  work  as  a  through  line  of  transporta¬ 
tion  is  uncalled  for,  in  view  of  the  forthcoming  report  of  the  United  States  Senate  Com¬ 
mittee  on  lines  of  transportation  ;  but  the  local  interests  dependent  on  the  extension 
of  this  route  are  worthy  of  special  consideration. 

The  first  consideration  is  the  further  development  of  the  valley  of  the  North  Branch 
of  the  Potomac  River  above  Cumberland  and  its  several  tributaries,  in  the  progress  of 
which  the  low  rates  of  transportation  by  canal  as  compared  with  railroads  are  of  the 
first  importance. 

The  second  important  consideration  is  the  establishment  of  canal  transportation  to 
the  Cumberland  coal-basin  at  Piedmont,  twenty-eight  miles  beyond  and  west  of  Cum¬ 
berland,  by  which  convenience  the  cost  of  coal  to  the  sea-coast  market  should  be  re¬ 
duced  by  $1.65  per  ton  on  present  rates  by  railroads,  and  a  dollar  per  ton  on  present 
combined  rates  on  railroad  and  canal. 

As  a  third  consideration,  there  are  extensive  beds  of  the  lower  ooal-series,  described 
in  the  appended  report  of  Professor  Lesley,  (Appendix  B.)  On  the  North  Branch,  from 
the  mouth  of  Savage  River  to  its  head-waters,  a  length  of  some  thirty  miles,  are  exten¬ 
sive  forests  of  the  finest  of  timber,  both  on  the  North  Branch  and  the  Savage,  already 
in  demand,  and  now  taken  to  market  under  great  disadvantages  and  at  heavy  cost. 

But  the  most  important  feature,  and  the  one  promising  the  greatest  benefit,  one  that 
will  soop  be  demanded  as  a  great  necessity  for  the  extension,  is  the  fact  that  the  Sav¬ 
age  River  route  traverses  the  very  valuable  and  extensive  Salisbury  coal-basin ,  which 
by  calculation  contains  90,000,000  tons  of  coal  that  can  be  brought  to  market  out  of  a 
deposit  estimated  at  154,000,000  tons,  lying  above  the  bed  of  the  Castleman  River,  at 
the  place  where  this  route  enters  the  valley.  The  quantity  available  from  the  lower 
coal-series,  lying  below  the  bed  of  the  river,  is  estimated  at  90,000,000  tons  out  of  a  de¬ 
posit  of  120,000,000  tons.  The  upper  beds  can  be  worked  by  galleries  and  adits  nearly 
horizontal,  are  readily  drained,  and  are  identical  with  the  great  Pittsburgh,  Sewickly, 
and  Cumberland  beds,  and  of  same  general  quality. 

Late  estimates  the  quantity  of  coal  remaining  of  the  great  vein  of  the  Cumber¬ 
land  basin  gives,  for  1869, 112,000,000  tons.  This  basin  is  being  exhausted  at  the  rate 
of  2,000,000  tons  per  annum,  increasing  at  the  rate  of  5  per  cent,  each  year,  and  at 
this  rate  will  be  exhausted  in  about  twenty  years ;  and  the  next  available  coal-field  is 
the  Salisbury  basin,  only  some  twenty  miles  more  distant  from  the  eastern  markets, 
and  yet  within  economic  distance. 

The  Cumberland  coal  is  now  taxed  by  railroad  freights  $3.16  per  ton  per  two  hundred 
and  twelve  miles,  quite  nearly  one  and  a.  half  cents  per  ton  per  mile.  This  coal  could 
be  brought  to  the  seaboard  by  canal  for  $1.06  per  ton  exclusive  of  tolls,  which  would 
be  in  full  business,  say  30  cents  per  ton,  a  total  of  $1.36  per  ton,  a  saving  to  the  con¬ 
sumer  of  $1.80  on  present  prices,  or  nearly  36  per  cent. 

The  Salisbury  beds  are  opened  in  several  places,  and  a  railroad  is  graded  to  connect 
with  the  Baltimore  and  Pittsburgh  line.  The  Keystone  Coal  Company  are  mining 
and  putting  coal  on  the  Baltimore  and  Pittsburgh  Railroad  by  a  narrow-gauge  line  at 
the  rate  of  150  tons  per  day  ,•  but  the  railroad  monopoly  obstructs  the  getting  of  the 
products  of  this  coal-basin  to  market,  and  retards  and  delays  the  operations  of  mining  ; 
and  consequently  the  Cumberland  Coal  Companies  avoid  competition  ;  all  which  reacts 
on  the  prices  at  the  eastern  coal-markets,  to  the  great  disadvantage  of  all  classes  of 
consumers,  domestic  and  productive. 

For  a  faithful  and  full  report  on  the  Salisbury  coal-basin  with  regard  to  quantity, 
quality,  and  geological  identity,  I  am  enabled  to  refer  to  the  accompanying  report  of 
Prof.  J.  P.  Lesley,  for  the  use  of  which  I  am  indebted  to  the  courtesy  of  Mr.  John 
Auspach,  president  of  the  Salisbury  and  Baltimore  Railroad  and'Coal  Company ;  I  arn  also 
indebted  to  Mr.  Frank  T.  Wilson,  engineer  for  the  company,  for  valuable  information 
and  professional  courtesies. 

That  the  lower  coal  series  can  be  extensively  worked  on  the  north  branch  above  the 
mouth  of  Savage  River  is  without  question,  as  many  places  are  opened  to  veius  of 
6  and  8  feet  thickness,  and  even  of  greater  thickness,  near  the  head  of  that  stream. 

The  importance  of  this  extension  is  also  apparent  in  regard  to  reaching  the  several 
coal-field  of  the  Youghiogheny,  referred  to  in  Professor  Lesley’s  report. 


22  EXTENSION  OF  THE  CHESAPEAKE  AND  OHIO  CANAL. 


APPENDIX  A. 

Report  of  the  board  of  internal  improvement  on  th&  Chesapeake  and  Ohio  Canal,  February 

2,  1825. 

This  canal  may  be  divided  in  three  sections— eastern,  middle,  and  western.  The 
eastern  section  extends  from  the  tide-water  in  the  Potomac  to  the  mouth  of  Savage 
River,  in  the  northern  branch  of  the  Potomac.  The  middle  section  extends  from  the 
mouth  of  Savage  River  in  the  Potomac  to  that  of  Bear  Creek  in  the  Youghiogkeny. 
The  western  section  from  the  mouth  of  Bear  Creek  to  the  Ohio  at  Pittsburgh. 

EASTERN  SECTION. 

[As  this  section  has  been  built,  all  matters  relating  to  it  are  omitted.] 

MIDDLE  SECTION. 

This  section,  from  the  mouth  of  Savage  River  in  the  north  branch  of  the  Potomac 
extends  to  the  mouth  of  Bear  Creek,  in  the  Youghiogheny,  on  the  west  side  of  the 
Alleganies.  It  includes  the  summit-level  of  the  canal,  and  from  the  complicated  topo¬ 
graphy  of  the  ground,  the  height  which  must  be  overcome  in  a  short  space,  and  the 
difficulty  of  securing  a  sufficient  supply  of  water  in  dry  seasons  at  such  an  elevation, 
presents  the  greatest  difficulties  which  occur  in  the  whole  project. 

The  Little  Back  Bone  Ridge  divides  the  waters,  which,  in  that  part  of  the  Alle¬ 
ganies,  runs  east  and  west ;  it  runs  parallel  to  the  Great  Back  Bone,  through  which 
Savage  River  forces  its  way,  and  the  canal  must  absolutely  pass  through  this  gap. 
Between  those  two  ridges  run  Crabtree  Creek,  from  southwest  to  northeast,  and  Sav¬ 
age  River  from  northwest  to  southeast,  the  former  falling  into  Savage  River  four  and 
a  half  miles  above  its  mouth  in  the  Potomac.  From  the  west  side  of  the  Little  Back 
Bone  falls  Deep  Creek  and  the  Little  Youghiogheny;  the  latter  runs  from  east  to 
west,  and,  after  forcing  its  way  successively  through  Hoop-pole  Ridge  and  Roman  Nose 
Ridge,  joins  the  Great  Youghiogheny.  Deep  Creek  runs  at  first  to  the  north,  crossing 
Hoop-pole  Ridge  and  Negro  Mountain;  then,  intercepted  by  Marsh  Mountain,  it  turns 
west  and  falls  into  the  Youghiogheny.  The  gap  through  which  it  forces  its  way  across 
the  Hoop -pole  Ridge  is  only  sixty-six  yards  wide,  and  is  called  the  Narrows. 

The  heads  of  the  Little  and  Great  Youghiogheny,  to  some  miles  above  the  point 
where  they  join  in  a  single  stream,  run'tlirough  marshy  meadows  known  by  the  name 
of  Glades.  The  valleys  of  Deep  Creek  and  its  tributaries  offer  the  same  features  as 
low  down  as  Marsh  Mountain,  from  whence  their  course  continues  in  a  deep  and  nar¬ 
row  ravine,  with  steep  and  rugged  banks.  The  bottom  of  these  glades,  which  has 
been  sounded  in  several  places,  present  the  following  layers :  first,  rich  loam  ;  second, 
sand,  colored  by  oxydated  iron  ;  third,  vegetable  detritics  ;  fourth,  alluvial  clay ;  fifth, 
a  horizontal  bank  of  sandstone,  4  or  5  feet  below  the  surface,  on  which  the  other 
layers  all  lie. 

The  Great  Youghiogheny,  after  receiving  the  Little  Youghiogheny  and  Deep  Creek, 
receives  Bear  Creek.  The  east  branch  of  this  last  stream  rises  on  the  west  side  of  Ne¬ 
gro  Mountain,  and  runs  from  south  to  north  till  it  forces  its  way  through  Keyser’s  Ridge  ; 
it  then  runs  suddenly  west,  and,  after  forcing  through  Winding  Ridge,  falls  into  the 
Yroughiogheny.  Its  west  branch  springs  from  the  west  side  of  Keyser’s  Ridge,  and  joins 
the  other  at  the  gap,  where  it  forces  its  way  through  Winding  Ridge. 

Savage  River  runs  ou  a  bed  of  sandstone  ;  its  course  is  rapid,  and  broad  flats  extend 
along  both  its  banks.  Crabtree  Creek  is  the  chief  tributary  stream  which  joins  it ; 
it  runs  between  the  Great  and  Little  Backbone,  and  is  formed  by  the  junctiou  of 
Crabby’s  Arm  and  Wilson’s  Fork,  which  take  their  sources  in  that  part  of  the  Little 
Backbone  which  divides  their  ravines  from  the  valley  of  the  Little  Youghiogheny. 
Crabby’s  Arm  runs  in  a  narrow  vale,  but  which  is,  however,  wide  enough  to  receive  a 
canal ;  its  bottom  is  a  black,  alluvial  soil,  and  its  banks  present  a  gentle  slope.  Wil¬ 
son’s  Fork  is  more  rapid,  but  runs  in  a  wide  and  well-wooded  valley.  These  two 
streams  joiu  at  Swan’s  Mill,  from  whence  they  impetuously  descend  on  a  bed  from  ten 
to  twenty  yards  wide.  They  are  interrupted  in  two  or  three  places  by  perpendicular 
falls,  7  or  8  feet  high,  and  frequently  by  smaller  rapids,  which  fall  from  4  to  5  feet.  From 
the  Great  Backbone,  Crabtree  Creek  receives  several  tributaries ;  they  are  torrents 
which  fall  into  it  with  great  impetuosity.  On  both  sides  of  its  valleys  run  flats  eight 
or  ten  yards  wide,  which  are  intersected  by  rugged  bluffs,  from  100  to  200  feet  high, 
which  divide  them  into  isolated  portions,  the  bluffs  on  one  side  of  the  stream  lying, 
in  general,  opposite  to  the  flats  on  the  other,  and  the  two  banks  presenting  an  alter¬ 
nate  succession  of  the  same  features. 


EXTENSION  OF  THE  CHESAPEAKE  AND  OHIO  CANAL. 


23 


Such  are  the  main  streams  which,  in  this  section,  descend  from  the  two  sides  of  the 
Alleganies. 

To  conduct  the  canal  across  this  summit  ground  we  must,  1st,  select  the  best  pas¬ 
sage  for  it  through  the  Little  Backbone,  by  leading  it  either  from  the  valley  of  Sav¬ 
age  River  to  that  of  Deep  Creek,  and  from  that  of  Crabtree  Creek  to  the  same,  or 
from  the  valley  of  Crabtree  Creek,  to  that  of  the  Little  Youghiogheny  ;  2d,  ascertain 
which  of  these  passages  presents  the  shortest  route  from  the  mouth  of  Savage  River  to 
that  of  Bear  Creek ;  3d,  ascertain,  as  the  most  essential  element  of  the  whole  project, 
whether  a  supply  of  water  sufficient  for  all  the  purposes  of  the  canal  can  be  procured 
at  this  elevation. 

We  shall  point  out  the  several  passages  which  lead  through  the  Little  Backbone, 
beginning  by  those  which  lead  from  the  valley  of  Savage  River  to  that  of  Deep  Creek. 
But,  in  the  first  place,  it  is  necessary  to  state  that  a  base-mark  has  been  fixed  on  the 
bridge  of  Deep  Creek,  3  feet  above  its  bottom  ;  to  this  have  been  referred  all  the  levels 
taken  on  this  section  of  the  canal. 

Monroe  Run,  a  tributary  of  Savage.  River,  and  Meadow  Mountain  Run,  a  tributary 
of  Deep  Creek,  offer  the  only  ravines  through  which  Deep  Creek  and  Savage  River  can 
bo  connected.  For  this  purpose  it  will  be  necessary  to  run  a  tunnel  through  the  Little 
Backbone.  Supposing  its  bed  on  a  level  with  the  base-mark,  and  a  deep  cut  of  35 
feet  at  each  extremity  of  it,  this  tunnel  would  extend  5  miles  833^  yards  in  length. 
The  greatest  elevation  of  the  ridge  above  the  bed  of  the  tunnel  would  be  213  feet. 
From  its  eastern  extremity  to  the  mouth  of  Monroe  Run,  in  Savage  River,  the  descent 
is  983  feet,  on  length  of  5  miles  816$-  yards.  From  the  mouth  of  Monroe  Run  to  that  of 
Crabtree  Creek,  in  Savage  River,  the  descent  is  109  feet  on  a  length  of  2  miles  216$- 
yards.  From  the  mouth  of  Crabtree  Creek  to  that  of  Savage  River  itself,  in  the  Potomac, 
the  descent  is  340  feet, on  a  length  of  five  and  one-lialf  miles.  The  level  of  the  mouth 
of  Savage  River  lies,  of  course,  1,432  feet  below  the  base-mark,  and  at  a  distance  of  21 
miles  327  yards  from  it,  ascending  the  ravines  of  Savage  River  and  Monroe  Run,  and 
descending  those  of  Meadow  Mountain  Run  and  Deep  Creek. 

Meadow  Mountain  Run  flows  through  glades,  but  Monroe  Run  falls  down  a  ravine 
whose  upper  portion  is  very  steep  and  narrow  ;  it  widens,  however,  as  it  descends,  and 
presents  a  succession  of  bluffs  and  flats,  which  extend  to  twenty-five  yards  in  breadth. 
The  bluffs  hang  perpendicularly  over  the  stream.  At  the  mouth  of  Monroe  Run,  Sav¬ 
age  River  is  only  thirty-three  yards  wide,  and  a  dam  might  easily  be  thrown  across  to 
form  a  reservoir. 

This  passage  is  the  only  one  which  leads  from  the  valley  of  Savage  River  to  that  of 
Deep  Creek. 

We  shall  now  examine  those  which  connect  the  valley  of  Crabtree  Creek  and  Deep 
Creek.  The  first  lies  between  the  middle  fork  of  Crabtree  Creek  and  the  Meadow 
Mountain  Run,  and  would  require  a  tunnel  running  under  the  Little  Backbone  and 
Hoop-pole  Ridge.  Supposing  its  bed  on  a  level  with  the  base-mark,  and  an  open  cut  to 
the  depth  of  35  feet  through  the  height,  the  tunnel  would  extend  three  miles 
1,333£  yards  in  length.  From  its  eastern  extremity  to  Crabtree  Creek,  in  following 
the  windings  of  the  middle  fork,  the  descent  is  1,012  feet  on  a  distance  of  six  miles 
1,333$-  yards ;  and  from  the  mouth  of  the  middle  fork  to  the  mouth  of  Savage  River, 
in  the  Potomac,  the  descent  is  420  feet  on  a  distance  of  six  miles  685  yards.  The  height 
of  the  ridge  above  the  level  of  the  tunnel  would  be  210  feet,  and  the  ravine  of  middle 
fork  differs  little  from  that  of  Monroe  Run.  Its  general  breadthds  about  27  yards  and 
its  banks  are  rugged.  The  whole  distance  from  the  base-mark  to  the  mouth  of  Savage 
River  would  be,  by  this  passage,  nineteen  miles  915  yards. 

Three  passages  run  through  the  Little  Backbone  from  three  branches  of  North  Glade 
Run,  a  tributary  stream  of  Deep  Creek,  to  the  valley  of  Crabtree  Creek. 

The  first  opens  on  the  western  branch  of  the  middle  fork,  and  would  require  a  tunnel 
through  the  Hoop-pole  Ridge.  Supposing  its  bed  on  a  level  with  the  base-mark,  aud 
an  open  cut  to  the  depth  of  35  feet  through  the  height,  the  tunnel  would  extend  three 
miles  125$  yards  in  length,  and  the  greatest  height  of  the  ridge  above  its  bed  would 
be  144  feet. 

From  the  second  branch  of  North  Glade  Run  a  passage  might  be  opened  to  the 
eastern  branch  of  the  middle  fork  by  a  tunnel  of  the  same  nature  and  on  the  same 
level  as  the  former.  It  would  extend  three  miles  and  83  yards  in  length,  and  the 
greatest  height  of  the  ridge  above  its  bed  would  be  184  feet.  But  from  its  eastern  ex¬ 
tremity  there  would  be  a  descent  of  230  feet  on  a  distance  of  one  mile  366  yards. 

From  the  third  branch  a  passage  might  be  opened  to  Rock  Camp  Run  by  a  tunnel 
four  miles  in  length.  The  greatest  height  of  the  ridge  above  its  bed  would  be  222  feet ; 
but  from  its  eastern  extremity  to  Crabtree  Creek  the  descent  would  be  728  feet  on  a 
distance  of  two  miles  166$-  yards,  and  through  a  very  narrow,  rugged,  and  precipitous 
ravine.  The  north  fork  of  Deep  Creek  rises  near  the  summit  of  the  Little  Backbone 
at  Whitsall’s  Springs,  105  feet  above  the  base-mark.  The  spring  of  Savage  Lick  Run, 
a  tributary  stream  of  Crabtree  Creek,  rises  opposite  to  it.  A  tunnel  which  would  join 
them,  with  its  bed  on  a  level  with  the  base-mark,  aud  an  open  cut  through  the  height 


24  EXTENSION  OF  THE  CHESAPEAKE  AND  OHIO  CANAL. 


at  each  of  its  extremities  to  the  depth  of  35  feet,  would  extend  two  miles  1,083  yards 
in  length.  From  its  eastern  extremity  to  Crabtree  Creek  the  descent  would  lie  452 
feet  ou  a  distance  of  two  miles  and  100  yards,  and  the  greatest  height  of  the  ridge 
above  its  bed  would  be  148  feet. 

Three  more  passages  have  been  surveyed  between  the  tributaries  of  the  north  fork 
and  those  of  Crabtree  Creek. 

The  first  unites  Hindi’s  Arm  to  Glade  Road  Run  by  a  tunnel  one  mile  1,166  yards  in 
length  on  a  level  with  the  base-mark.  The  distance  from  its  eastern  extremity  to 
Crabtree  Creek  is  1,500  yards,  and  the  greatest  height  of  the  ridge  above  its  bed  205 
feet. 

The  two  others  unite  Dry  Arm  and  Dewickman’s  Arm  with  small  ravines  of  Crabby’s 
Arm,  a  tributary  stream  of  Crabtree  Creek,  which  rise  opposite  to  them.  The  tunnel 
which  would  be  required  at  Dry  Arm  would  extend  one  mile  916  yards  in  length,  and 
the  greatest  height  of  the  ridge  above  its  bed  would  be  271  feet.  The  tunuel  of  De¬ 
wickman’s  arm  would  extend  one  mile  683$  yards  in  length  and  the  greatest  height  of 
the  ridge  above  its  bed  would  be  227  feet.  These  two  tunnels,  on  a  level  wrh  the 
base  mark,  are  the  shortest  of  those  that  we  have  enumerated  on  any  of  the  desig¬ 
nated  routes  of  the  canal. 

Two  passages  have  been  surveyed  and  leveled  to  open  a  communication  between 
Crabtree  Creek  and  the  Little  Youghiogheny,  the  one  from  Crabby’s  Arm  and  the  other 
from  Wilson’s  Fork  to  the  latter  stream.  They  would  each  require  a  tunnel.  Suppos¬ 
ing  its  bed  on  a  level  with  the  base-mark,  the  tunnel  from  Crabby’s  Arm  would  extend 
three  miles  1,538  yards,  and  the  tunnel  from  Wilson’s  Fork  four  miles  300  yards  in 
length,  with  an  open  cut  at  each  of  their  extremities  to  the  depth  of  35  feet.  The 
greatest  height  of  the  ridge  above  the  bed  of  the  tunnel  from  Crabby’s  Arm  would  be 
444  feet,  and  above  that  of  Wilson’s  Fork  253  feet.  The  distance  from  their  eastern 
extremities  to  Swan’s  Mill  would  be  two  miles,  with  a  fall  of  114  feet.  From  Swan’s 
Mill  to  the  mouth  of  Crabtree  Creek  the  descent  would  be  940  feet  on  a  distance 
of  seven  miles  966  yards;  from  the  mouth  of  Crabtree  Creek  to  that  of  Savage  River, 
ou  the  Potomac,  the  distance  five  miles  880  yards,  and  the  descept  378  feet.  Thus 
from  the  eastern  extremity  of  the  tunnel  to  the  mouth  of  Savage  River,  the  total  de¬ 
scent  is  1,432  feet  on  a  distance  of  fifteen  miles  86  yards,  and  of  these  two  tunnels  the 
one  by  Crabby’s  Arm  is  the  shortest.  * 

Other  passages  have  also  been  examined  to  open  communications  between  Deep 
Creek  and  the  waters  of  the  Little  Youghiogheny.  The  bed  of  the  tunnels  required 
for  this  purpose  was  fixed  17  feet  above  the  level  of  the  base-mark.  One  of  these  tun¬ 
nels  joined  Westlick  Run  to  one  of  the  branches  of  the  South  Fork  of  Deep  Creek.  Its 
length  was  two  miles  583$  yards,  and  it  required  a  deep  cut  on  the  side  of  Westlick  Run 
of  the  length  of  one  mile  600  yards,  and  auother  on  the  side  of  South  Fork  of  the  length 
of  two  miles  50  yards.  Another  tunnel  might  join  the  Little  Youghiogheny  itself  to 
South  Fork.  It  would  extend  one  mile  1,300  yards  in  length,  and  require  an  open  cut 
of  one  mile  1,566$  yards  in  length  toward  the  Little  Youghiogheny,  and  two  miles  300 
yards  toward  the  South  Fork.  The  height  of  the  ridge  above  the  first  tunnel  would 
be  143  feet,  and  above  the  second,  188  feet. 

Such  are  the  chief  passages  through  which  a  communication  might  be  opened  between 
the  waters  which  descend  from  the  eastern  and  western  sides  of  the  Little  Backbone. 

In  recapitulating  the  several  routes  by  which  the  canal  may  be  directed  through 
them,' we  will  observe  that  they  all  extend  from  the  mouth  of  Savage  River,  either  by 
the  valley  of  that  stream  or  Crabtree  Creek,  to  the  base-mark  on  the  bridge  of  Deep 
Creek,  and  that  the  descent  or  fall  of  the  canal  by  all  these  routes  is  1,432  feet. 

1st.  The  first  ascends  by  Savage  River,  Monroe  Run,  Meadow  Mountain  Run,  and 
Deep  Crtek.  Its  total  length,  from  the  mouth  of  Savage  River  to  the  base-mark,  is 
twenty-one  miles  325  yards.  The  length  of  the  tunnel  which  it  requires  through  the 
ridge  is  five  miles  833$  yards,  and  the  height  of  the  ridge  above  its  bed,  213  feet. 

2d.  The  second  ascends  by  Savage  River,  Crabtree  Creek,  Middle  Fork,  Meadow 
Mountain  Run,  and  Deep  Creek.  Its  total  length  is  nineteen  miles  915  yards.  The 
length  of  the  tunnel  which  it  requires  through  the  ridge  is  three  miles  1,333$  yards,  and 
the  height  of  the  ridge  above  its  bed  is  210  feet. 

3d.  The  third  ascends  by  Savage  River,  Crabtree  Creek,  Middle  Fork,  the  western 
branch  of  the  same  fork,  North  Glade  Run,  and  Deep  Creek.  Its  total  length  is  twenty 
miles  1,128  yards;  the  length  of  the  tunnel  which  it  requires  through  the  ridge  three 
miles  125  yards,  aud  the  height  of  the  ridge  above  its  bed,  144  feet. 

4tli.  The  fourth  ascends  by  Savage  River,  Crabtree  Creek,  Middle  Fork,  the  eastern 
branch  of  the  same,  North  Glade  Run,  and  Deep  Creek.  Its  total  length  is  twenty 
miles  1,306  yards  ;  the  length  of  the  tunnel  which  it  requires  through  the  ridge,  three 
miles  83  yards  ;  the  height  of  the  ridge  above  its  bed,  184  feet. 

5th.  The  fifth  ascends  by  Savage  River,  Crabtree  Creek,  Rocky  Camp  Run,  North 
Glade  Run,  and  Deep  Creek.  Its  total  length  is  nineteen  miles  630  yards  ;  the  length 
of  the  tunuel  which  it  requires  through  the  ridge,  four  miles,  aud  the  height  of  the 
ridge  above  its  bed,  222  feet. 


EXTENSION  OF  THE  CHESAPEAKE  AND  OHIO  CANAL.  25 


6th.  The  sixth  ascends  by  Savage  River,  Crabtree  Creek,  Savage  Lick  Run,  North 
Fork,  and  Deep  Creek.  Its  total  length  is  twenty-one  miles  435  yards  ;  the  length  oi 
the  tunnel  which  it  requires  through  the  ridge,  two  miles  1,083  yards,  and  the  height  of 
the  ridge,  above  its  bed,  148  feet. 

7th.  The  seventh  ascends  by  Savage  River,  Crabtree  Creek,  Hinch’s  Arm,  Glade  Road 
Run,  North  Fork, and  Deep  Creek.  Its  total  length  is  twenty-one  miles  1,158  yards; 
the  length  of  the  tunnel  which  it  requires  through  the  ridge,  one  mile  1,166  yards, 
and  the  height  of  the  ridge  above  its  bed,  205  feet. 

8th.  The  eighth  ascends  by  Savage  River,  Crabtree  Creek,  a  ravine  of  Crabby’s  Arm, 
Dry  Arm,  North  Fork,  and  Deep  Creek.  Its  total  length  is  twenty  one  miles  1,368 
yards;  the  length  of  the  tunnel  which  it  requires  through  the  ridge,  one  mile  916 
yards  ;  and  the  height  of  the  ridge  above  its  bed,  271  feet. 

9th.  The  ninth  ascends  by  Savage  River,  Crabtree  Creek,  a  ravine  of  Crabby’s  Arm, 
Dewickman’s  Arm,  North  Fork,  and  Deep  Creek.  Its  total  length  is  twenty-one  miles 
718  yards ;  the  length  of  the  tunnel  which  it  requires  through  the  ridge,  one  mile 
689^  yards  and  the  height  of  the  ridge  above  its  bed,  227  feet. 

From  the  base-mark  the  localities  of  the  ground  leave  us  a  choice  between  three 
routes  to  the  mouth  of  Bear  Creek. 

The  first  runs  by  Deep  Creek,  Buffalo  Marsh  Run,  Rocklick  Run,  a  tributary  stream 
to  the  western  branch  of  Bear  Creek,  that  western  branch  to  its  mouth  in  Bear  Creek, 
and'Bear  Creek  itself  to  the  Youghiogheny.  This  route  crosses,  by  a  tunnel,  the  ridge 
which  divides  the  heads  of  the  western  and  eastern  branches  of  Bear  Creek.  This 
tunnel  beginning  at  McHenry’s,  and  with  an  open  cut  of  the  depth  of  35  feet  at  its 
southern  extremity,  near  McHenry’s,  and  at  its  northern  extremity,  would  extend  about 
two  miles  in  length,  and  the  greatest  height  of  the  ridge  above  its  bed,  supposed  on  a 
level  with  the  base-mark,  would  be  about  170  feet.  The  whole  ground  along  this  route, 
except  where  it  passes  through  the  gap  of  Winding  Ridge,  is  of  a  soft,  and  good 
quality  ;  and  its  whole  length,  from  the  base-mark  to  the  mouth  of  Deer  Creek,  would 
be  only  twelve  miles. 

A  second  route  might  turn  round  the  west  of  Marsh  Mountain,  and  wind  about  Pan¬ 
ther’s  Point.  It  would  then  turn  successively  round  the  heads  of  the  ravines  of  Hoy’s 
Run,  Steep  Run,  Sang  Run,  Gap  Run,  and  descend  along  Friend  Run,  a  tributary  of 
the  western  branch  of  Bear  Creek.  This  route  is  very  circuitous,  and  in  windiug  round 
Panther’s  Point  runs  through  a  rocky  and  difficult  ground.  It  would  only  be  shortened 
by  running  an  aqueduct  250  feet  high,  and  aboye  a  quarter  of  a  mile  long,  through  the 
western  branch  of  Hoy’s  Run,  or  a  tunnel  half  a  mile  in  length  from  that  western 
branch  to  the  head  of  Steep  Run.  The  height  of  the  ridge  above  the  bottom  of  that 
tunnel  would  be  about  250  feet.  A  level  was  also  run  over  a  bend  of  ground  at  Hoy’s 
Pine  Bottom  to  endeavor  to  shorten  it  and  avoid  the  winding  round  of  Panther’s  Point, 
but  to  run  the  canal  over  this  line  would  require  a  deep  cut  of  1,431  yards  in  length, 
and  of  the  depth  of  99.06  feet,  at  the  highest  point  of  the  ridge.  The  total  length  of 
this  route  would  be  twenty-four  miles. 

The  third  route,  descending  the  valley  of  Deep  Creek  from  the  base-mark,  might 
follow  the  eastern  shore  of  the  Youghiogheny  to  the  mouth  of  Bear  Creek,  crossing 
successively  'on  aqueducts  Hoy’s  Run,  Steep  Run,  Sang  Run,  Gap  Run,  Bear  Creek, 
and  the  smaller  tributary  streams  of  that  river.  The  ground  along  this  route  is  rocky 
and  difficult  for  one  mile  and  three-quarters  from  Deep  Creek  to  Hoy’s  Run;  then  light 
and  easy  for  four  miles  to  Gap  Run  ;  then  rocky  for  the  space  of  six  miles,  following 
the  western  bank  of  Winding  Ridge  ;  then  for  two  and  a  quarter  miles  light  and  easy 
to  the  mouth  of  Bear  Creek.  The  total  length  of  this  route  would  be  twenty  miles. 

We  have  not  motioned  a  fourth  route,  which,  from  the  base-mark,  running  by  a 
tunnel  through  Negro  Mountain,  might  unite  Deep  Creek  with  the  eastern  branch  of 
Bear  Creek,  because  it  would  require  a  tunnel  of  eight  miles  in  length,  and  that  the 
height  of  the  ridge  above  its  bed  would  be  from  400  to  500  feet  in  the  most  elevated 
portion.  The  length  of  this  route  would  also  pass  twenty  miles. 

Such  are  all  the  routes  which  lead  from  the  valleys  of  Savage  River  and  Crabtree 
Creek,  in  passing  by  that  of  Deep  Creek  to  the  mouth  of  Bear  Creek,  in  the 
Youghiogheny.  We  must  now  examine  those  which,  departing  from  the  head  of 
Crabtree  Creek,  reach  the  same  point  in  passing  by  the  valleys  of  the  Little  and  Great 
Youghiogheny. 

For  this  purpose  the  canal  should  follow  the  valley  of  Savage  River  from  the  mouth 
of  that  stream,  and  ascend  along  Crabtree  Creek  till  it  reaches  two  miles  above  Swan’s 
Mill,  where  opens  the  eastern  extremity  of  the  tunnel  of  Crabby’s  Arm,  mentioned  on 
page  27  as  the  shortest  of  those  by  which  Savage  River  can  be  connected  with  the 
Youghiogheny.  Passing  through  that  tunnel  it  would  descend  the  valleys  of  the  Lit¬ 
tle  and  Great  Youghiogheny,  winding  along  their  eastern  sides.  When  it  reaches  the 
mouth  of  Deep  Creek  it  may  follow  one  of  these  three  directions  : 

1st.  Ascend  Deep  Creek  and  Buffalo  Marsh  Run,  following  the  first  of  the  three 
routes  which  we  have  just  indicated  for  passing  from  the  base-mark  to  the  mouth  of 


26  EXTENSION  OF  THE  CHESAPEAKE  AND  OHIO  CANAL. 


Bear  Creek.  This  route,  as  we  have  seen,  presents  a  tunnel  two  miles  in  length.  The 
total  distance  over  which  it  runs  is  as  follows  : 

Miles.  Yards. 

From  the  mouth  of  Savage  River  to  the  east  extremity  of  the  tunnel  of 


Crabby’s  Arm .  15  86 

From  thence  to  the  mouth  of  Deep  Creek . 22  426 

From  thence  to  the  mouth  of  Buffalo  Marsh  Run .  6  ... 

From  thence  to  the  mouth  of  Bear  Creek .  11  440 


Total  distance  from  the  mouth  of  Savage  River  to  that  of  Bear  Creek. . .  54  952 

This  route  would  present  two  tunnels,  one  three  miles  1,538  yards  in  length  at 
Crabby’s  Arm,  and  the  other  two  miles  in  length  between  Buffalo  Marsh  Run  and 
Rocklick  Run  ;  total,  nearly  six  miles  of  tunneling. 

2d.  The  canal  might  cross  Deep  Creek  and  follow  the  second  route  indicated  for  pass¬ 
ing  from  the  base-mark  to  Bear  Creek,  by  winding  round  Panther’s  Point,  and  {lie 
heads  of  the  ravines  of  Hoy’s  Run,  Steep  Run,  Long  Run,  Gap  Run,  and  Friend  Run  to 
the  western  branch  of  Bear  Creek.  Its  total  length  would  be  : 

Miles.  Yards. 


From  the  mouth  of  Savage  River  to  that  of  Deep  Creek,  as  above .  37  512 

From  thence  to  Bear  Creek .  17  660 

Total  length .  54  1,172 


This  route  presents  only  one  tunnel,  of  the  length  of  three  miles  1,538  yards,  or 
nearly  four  miles,  at  Crabby’s  Arm.  It  may  also  be  shortened,  as  mentioned  above,  by 
an  aqueduct  one-fourth  of  a  mile  in  length  and  250  feet  high,  or  a  tunnel  one-half  mile 
in  length,  with  250  feet  of  height  of  ridge  above  its  bed. 

3d.  The  canal  might  fall  on  this  third  route  indicated  above,  after  crossing  Deep 
Creek,  by  keeping  along  the  eastern  side  of  the  valley  of  the  Yougliiogheny,  and  cross¬ 
ing  its  tributaries  on  aqueducts.  Its  total  length  would  be  as  follows : 

Miles.  Yards. 


From  the  mouth  of  Savage  River  to  that  of  Deep  Creek,  as  above . .  37  512 

From  thence  to  Bear  Creek . . .  13  660 

Total  length .  50  1, 172 


This  route  would  require,  like  the  preceding  one,  one  tunnel,  of  three  miles  1,538 
yards,  or  nearly  four  miles  in  length. 

From  the  comparison  of  these  three  routes  it  is  evident  that  the  second  is  preferable 
to  the  first.  Their  length  is  nearly  the  same,  but  the  first  requires  six  miles  of  tunnel¬ 
ing  and  two  tunnels,  while  the  second  requires  only  one  tunnel,  of  something  less  than 
four  miles  in  length.  The  third  is  shorter  again,  by  four  miles,  than  the  second,  and 
passes  by  the  same  tunnel.  Aqueducts  must  be  constructed  on  this  route  to  cross 
Hoy’s  Run,  Steep  Run,  Sang  Run,  Gap  Run,  and  Bear  Creek,  but  by  the  successive  drop¬ 
ping  of  its  levels  they  will  require  but  a  small  elevation,  and  the  waters  of  these  runs 
and  of  the  Great  Yougliiogheny  may  be  raised  and  used  to  feed  the  canal,  an  advan¬ 
tage  which  the  other  routes  do  not  offer.  It  should  also  be  observed  that  these  runs 
are  not  above  200  or  300  feet  wide  at  their  mouths,  in  the  Youghiogheny.  The  third  • 
route  is  therefore  preferable  to  the  two  others,  on  the  hypothesis  of  uniting  the 
mouths  of  Savage  River  and  Bear  Creek  through  the  valleys  of  the  Little  and  Great 
Youghiogheny.  ** 

We  will  now  compare  this  route,  which  we  will  call  the.  Youghiogheny  route,  with 
those  which  lead  from  Crabtree  Creek  to  Deep  Creek. 

Nine  routes,  which  all  unite  at  the  base-mark,  have,  as  we  have  stated  before,  been 
examined  for  this  purpose.  Their  length  varies  only  from  nineteen  to  twenty-two 
miles,  but  their  tunnels  present  a  much  greater  difference.  The  longest  extends  five 
miles  833£  yards,  or  about  five  and  a  half  miles ;  and  the  shortest,  one  mile  683£  yards, 
or  about  one  and  one-third  miles  in  length.  The  last  should  certainly  be  preferred.  Its 
whole  length  is  twenty-one  miles  718  yards ;  and  the  greatest  height  of  the  ridge  above 
its  tunnel  is  227  feet.  We  shall  call  it  Dewickman’s  Arm  route. 

Wo  have  also  observed  that  there  are  three  routes  fiorn  the  base-mark  to  the  mouth 
of  Bear  Creek.  The  first  runs  twelve  miles  by  Buffalo  Marsh  Run  and  Rock  Lick  Run. 
It  is  the  shortest,  but  requires  two  miles  of  tunneling.  Were  it  not  for  this  obstacle 
it  offers  a  favorable  ground  for  digging  the  canal.  The  second,  winding  round  Pan¬ 
ther’s  Point  and  the  hetids  of  Hoy’s  Run,  Steep  Run,  Sang  Run,  Gap  Run,  &c.,  is 
twenty-four  miles  long,  and  is  objectionable,  not  only  for  its  length,  but  from  the  diffi¬ 
culties  which  it  presents  in  turning  Panther’s  Point.  The  third,  by  the  valleys  of 
Deep  Creek  and  of  the  eastern  branch  of  the  Youghiogheny,  is  tweuty  miles  long.  It 
is  shorter  by  four  miles  than  the  second,  and  requires  no  tunneling.  In  this  respect 
it  is  superior  to  the  first ;  for  two  miles  of  tuunel  costs  more  than  eight  miles  of  canal, 


EXTENSION  OF  THE  CHESAPEAKE  AND  OHIO  CANAL.  27 

which  is  the  difference  of  their  length.  The  passage  of  an  active  trade  will  also  meet 
with  more  delay  on  a  tunnel  of  two  miles,  unless  its  dimensions  are  very  large,  than 
on  four  or  six  miles  of  canal.  This  route  possessing,  besides,  over  the  two  others,  the 
advantage  of  feeding  the  canal  below  the  mouth  of  Deep  Creek,  by  raising  the  waters 
of  the  Great  Yonghiogheny  and  its  tributaries,  is  preferable  to  them  in  all  respects. 

If  we  add  the  twenty  miles  of  this  route  to  the  twenty-one  miles  718  yards  of 
Dewickman’s  Arm  route,  we  shall  have  for  the  whole  length  of  the  canal,  passing  along 
Crabtree  Creek,  Deep  Creek,  and  the  valley  of  the  Youghiogheny,  forty-one  miles  718 
yards,  with  one  tunnel  one  and  a  third  mile  in  length,  and  the  height  of  the  ridge 
above  it  227  feet.  We  shall  call  this  route  Deep  Creek  route,  in  opposition  to  the 
Youghiogheny  route. 

To  decide  between  these  two  routes,  which  alone  can  enter  in  competition,  we  must 
compare  their  length,  and  the  time,  expense,  difficulties,  and  trouble  of  their  con¬ 
struction,  viewed  in  a  general  manner. 

The  length  of  the  Deep  Creek  route  is  forty-one  miles  718  yards  ;  that  of  the 
Youghiogheny  route  fifty  miles  1,172  yards.  The  former  is,  therefore,  shorter  by  nine 
miles  than  the  other. 

The  tunnel  from  Dewickman’s  Arm  on  the  Deep  Creek  route  is  one  mile  683£  yards 
in  length,  and  the  height  of  the  ridge  above  its  bed  is  227  feet.  The  tunnel  between 
Crabby’s  Arm  and  the  Little  Youghiogheny,  on  the  Youghiogheny  route,  is  three  miles 
1,533  yards  in  length,  and  the  height  of  the  ridge  above  its  bed  is  464  feet.  The 
former  requires  two  miles  855f  yards  less  of  tunneling,  and  the  height  of  the  ridge 
above  the  bed  of  its  tunnel  is  237  feet  less.  With  respect  to  the  expense  of  tunnel¬ 
ing,  the  route  by  Deep  Creek  is,  therefore,  preferable  to  the  other. 

As  to  the  deep  cuts  at  each  extremity  of  these  tunnels,  the  deep  cut  at  the  western 
extremity  of  the  tunnel  toward  the  Little  Youghiogheny  is  two  miles  930  yards  in 
length.  The  deep  cut  at  its  eastern  extremity,  toward  Crabby’s  Arm,  is  900  yards.  The 
whole  deep  cutting  on  the  Youghiogheny  route  is  thus  three  miles  70  yards. 

The  deep  cut  at  the  western  extremity  of  the  other  tunnel  toward  Deep  Creek  ex¬ 
tends  five  miles  1,096  yards.  The  deep  cut  at  its  eastern  extremity  toward  Dewick¬ 
man’s  Arm,  572  yards.  Total,  five  miles  1,668  yards. 

The  Youghiogheny  route  will  therefore  require  two  miles  1,598  yards  less  of  deep  cut¬ 
ting  than  the  other  at  the  extremities  of  its  tunnels.  But  this  advantage  is  not  to  be 
weighed  with  the  expense  of  two  miles  855  yards  more  of  tunneling. 

In  comparing  the  nature  of  the  soil  on  each  of  these  routes,  and  the  obstacles  which 
it  may  present,  it  must  be  remembered  that  their  eastern  portion,  from  Savage  River  to 
Crabby’s  Arm,  and  their  western  portion,  from  the  mouth  of  Deep  Creek  to  that  of  Bear 
Creek,  are  the  same.  In  the  intermediate  space  the  ground  is  equally  favorable  and 
easy  to  work  on  both  routes. 

On  the  whole  comparison  of  their  respective  lengths,  of  the  time  necessary  to  pass 
through  the  one  or  the  other  of  the  obstacles  which  they  meet,  aud  the  expense  and 
probable  trouble  of  their  construction,  we  believe  the  Deep  Creek  route  preferable  to 
the  route  by  the  Youghiogheny. 

Our  next  task  must  be  to  compare  the  supplies  of  water  which  the  canal  may  receive 
on  either  of  these  routes,  and  this  will  lead  us  to  a  detailed  investigation  of  the  re¬ 
sources  which  are  offered  by  the  water-courses  of  the  country  to  feed  the  middle  section 
and  summit-level  of  the  proposed  canal. 

Savage  River  aud  its  tributary,  Crabtree  Creek,  may  feed  the  eastern  branch  of  the 
middle  section,  and  the  Great  Youghiogheny  its  western  branch.  The  summit-level 
must  draw  its  resources  from  Deep  Creek,  and  the  heads  of  the  Little  and  Great 
Youghiogheny. 

These  streams  were  all  gauged  in  1824,  at  their  lowest  stage.  We  will  give,  in  a 
general  manner,  the  result  of  these  operations,  the  minimum,  in  cubic  feet  of  water, 
that  flows  through  each  stream  in  a  second. 

EASTERN  BRANCH  OF  THE  MIDDLE  SECTION. 

Cubic  ft. 


Savage  River  gave  on  the  28th  September  below  the  mouth  of  Crabtree  Creek, 

in  a  second, . .  17.73 

Savage  River  gave  on  the  28th  September  at  its  mouth,  (it  had,  however, 

rained  this  day) .  46.  09 

Savage  River  gave  on  the  2d  September  below  Monroe  Run .  28. 62 

Monroe  Run  gave  on  the  28th  September  at  its  mouth .  0.  88 

Monroe  Run  gave  on  the  16th  September  at  its  month .  2. 28 

Crabtree  Creek  gave  on  the  14th  September  at  Swan’s  mill .  0. 97 

Middle  Fork  gave  on  the  15th  September  at  its  mouth  in  Crabtree  Creek .  0. 84 

Rock  Camp  Run  gave  on  the  2d  September  at  its  mouth  in  Crabtree  Creek..  0. 12 

Savage  Lick  Run  gave  on  the  14th  September  at  its  mouth  in  Crabtree  Creek.  0.  33 

Crabby’s  Arm  gave  on  the  17th  August  at  its  mouth  in  Crabtree  Creek .  0.  24 

Wilson’s  Fork  gave  on  the  17th  August  at  its  mouth  in  Crabtree  Creek ......  0. 35 


28  EXTENSION  OF  THE  CHESAPEAKE  AND  OHIO  CANAL. 


If  we  consider  that  the  water  consumed  in  the  lockage  of  this  branch  is  supplied 
from  the  summit-level,  these  streams,  turned  into  reservoirs  by  dams  thrown  across 
the  tributaries  of  Crabtree  Creek  and  Savage  River,  above  the  mouth  of  that  creek, 
will  serve  to  supply  its  losses  from  filtrations  and  evaporation.  Between  the  mouth  of 
Crabtree  Creek  and  the  Potomac,  on  a  distance  of  five  and  one-half  miles,  Savage  Riv¬ 
er,  which  gives  17.73  cubic  feet  in  a  second  at  its  lowest  stage,  will  serve  for  this  pur¬ 
pose.  In  the  remaining  nine  and  one-half  miles  from  the  tunnel  to  the  mouth  of  Crab¬ 
tree  Creek  the  Middle  Fork  gives  0.84  cubic  foot;  Rock  Camp  Run,  0.12  cubic  foot; 
Savage  Lick  Run,  0.33  cubic  foot ;  and  Crabtree  Creek  itself,  0.97  cubic  foot,  at  Swan’s 
mill,  at  their  lowest  stages ;  total,  2.26  cubic  feet.  Reservoirs  may  besides  be  formed 
in  the  Middle  Fork,  Savage  Lick  Run  and  Rock  Camp  Run.  Filtrations  may  also  be 
prevented,  in  a  great  degree,  by  a  careful  construction  of  the  bed  of  the  canal ;  and 
from  observations  taken  in  the  summer  of  1824  the  loss  from  evaporation  did  not  ex¬ 
ceed  the  quantity  received  by  summer  rains.  It  may  also  be  observed  that  any  deficit 
will  prove  to  be  amply  supplied  by  the  waters  of  the  summit-level. 

From  the  mouth  of  Savage  River  the  canal  may  be  supplied  from  the  North  Branch 
of  the  Potomac,  which,  on  the  18th  September,  gdve  106  cubic  feet  in  a  second;  and  a 
great  reservoir  may  be  formed  in  it  above  the  mouth  of  Savage  River.  From  this 
point,  therefore,  it  needs  no  longer  the  waters  of  Savage  River  nor  of  its  tributaries. 
And  if  we  except  the  waters  required  for  its  lockage,  which  will  be  supplied  from  the 
summit-level,  this  branch  of  the  middle  section  may  be  fed,  in  a  great  degree,  by  the 
streams  which  fall  into  it. 

WESTERN  BRANCH  OF  THE  MIDDLE  SECTION. 

This  portion  of  the  canal  begins  in  Deep  Creek,  five  miles  below  the  base-mark, 
and  ends  at  the  mouth  of  Bear  Creek.  The  length  is  fourteen  and  three-fourths  of  a 
mile,  and  like  the  former  branch  it  will  receive  from  the  summit-level  the  waters  re¬ 
quired  for  its  lockage 

Hoy’s  Run,  Steep  Run,  Sang  Run,  and  Gap  Run  may  be  employed  to  feed  it  and 
repair  its  losses ;  but  these  streams  have  not  been  gauged.  They  may,  nevertheless, 
offer  some  resources  for  reservoirs.  Bear  Creek  may  also  form  a  great  reservoir,  by 
damming  its  valley  and  feeding  the  western  section  of  the  canal,  but  cannot  feed  the 
western  branch  of  the  middle  section,  from  the  difference  of  their  levels. 

Deep  Creek  is  the  only  stream  of  any  importance  whose  waters  may  supply  the  losses 
of  this  branch  from  filtrations  and  evaporations.  We  should,  therefore,  examine  ac¬ 
curately  the  means  which  it  offers  for  this  purpose.  Its  usual  depth  under  the  bridge 
is  3  feet ;  but  in  its  freshets  it  rises  to  12  feet.  High  freshets  generally  occur  in  this 
stream  twice  or  thrice  a  year,  and  last  from  three  to  four  days  ;  when  the  rains  last  so 
long,  it  gives  during  that  time  from  400  to  500  cubic  feet  a  second.  During  the  most 
unfavorable  season  it  still  has  freshets,  less  considerable,  but  which,  nevertheless,  give 
it  a  mean  discharge  about  100  cubic  feet  in  a  second  each  time  ;  these  occur  from  six  to 
eight  times  a  year.  In  the  dryest  months  it  gives,  under  the  bridge,  from  10  to  5£ 
cubic  feet  a  second ;  on  the  27th  August,  1824,  it  gave  5.12  cubic  feet,  which  was  the 
lowest  quantity  we  ever  found. 

Supposing  a  dam  erected  across  Deep  Creek,  at  the  head  of  its  rapids,  and  five  miles 
below  the  base-mark,  its  basis  would  be  19£  feet  below  that  mark  ;  its  length  would 
be  136f  yards,  and  to  raise  its  waters  4  feet  above  the  base-mark  its  height  should 
be  23£  feet.  This  dam  would  raise  the  waters  of  Deep  Creek  so  as  to  over.low  an 
area  of  948,924  square  yards,  from  ’accurate  surveys.  The  prism  of  this  reservoir, 
comprised  between  its  surface  and  a  horizontal  plane,  run  three  feet  below  the  base- 
mark,  would  be  7  feet  high,  and  contain  in  capacity  2,214,156  cubic  yards.  In  less 
than  three  months  of  the  rainy  season,  if  we  allow  only  9  cubic  feet,  or  one-third  of  a 
cubic  yard,  a  second  to  the  average  supply  of  Deep  Creek,  this  reservoir  would  bo 
filled.  It  would  be  filled  in  less  than  five  months  in  summer  if  the  stream  yielded  at 
the  rate  of  5  cubic  feet.  Thus,  every  year,  and  for  nine  months  of  navigation,  from 
the  middle  of  March  to  the  middle  of  December,  we  may  depend  on  a  supply  equal  to 
twice  the  capacity  of  this  basin,  or  4,428,312  cubic  yards.  This  is  equivalent  to  492,034 
cubic  yards  a  month,  and  supposes  only  a  mean  supply  of  5£  cubic  feet  a  second. 
This  is  the  minimum  of  what  Deep  Creek  can  supply  to  repair  the  losses  of  the  west¬ 
ern  branch  of  the  middle  section  from  filtrations  and  evaporations.  To  ascertain  its 
sufficiency,  we  must  examine  next  what  those  losses  may  amount  to. 

The  length  of  this  section  is  fourteen  and  three-quarter  miles.  Supposing  it  5  feet 
deep,  28  feet  broad  at  the  bottom,  and  44  feet  at  the  surface  of  the  water,  the  prism 
of  its  capacity  will  have  a  base  of  20  cubic  yards,  on  a  length  of  fourteen  and  three- 
quarter  miles,  equal  to  a  cube  of  519,200  cubic  yards.  This  will  be  filled  in  the  first  days 
of  March  without  deranging  the  economy  of  water  which  we  have  just  analyzed.  We 
have  already  observed  that  Deep  Creek  may  supply  every  month  a  cube  nearly  corres¬ 
ponding  to  this,  or  492,034  cubic  yards,  at  the  minimum  rate,  and  lowest  state  of  its 


EXTENSION  OF  THE  CHESAPEAKE  AND  OHIO  CANAL.  29 


flow;  we  must  now  examine  whether  this  supply  will  suffice  every  month  to  the  filtra- 
tions  and  evaporations  of  fourteen  and  three-quarter  miles  of  canal. 

Without  entering  into  minute  calculations  which  properly  belong  to  the  report  ac¬ 
companying  the  final  project  of  the  canal,  we  will  state  generally  the  most  positive 
results  which  experience  has  given  as  to  the  joint  amount  of  filtrations  and  evapora¬ 
tions.  Having  ascertained  that  no  experiments  of  this  nature  have  been  tried  on  the 
Erie  Canal,  where  the  supply  of  water  was  found  evidently  more  than  sufficient,  we 
were  obliged  to  consult  the  results  of  those  canals  constructed  in  Europe,  under  a 
climate  which,  in  the  summer,  comes  nearest  to  onr  own.  We  have  selected  for  this 
purpose  the  canal  of  Narbonne,  in  the  south  of  France.  Narbonne  and  Baltimore, 
compared  as  to  climate  and  rain,  are  as  follows : 

Narbonne,  latitude  north  43°  IF,  (from  observations  made  during  twenty  years.) 
Mean  greatest  heat,  95° ;  mean  temperature,  60°  ;  mean  greatest  cold,  24°;  mean  quan¬ 
tity  of  rain,  29.30  inches. 

Baltimore,  latitude  north  39°  17',  (from  observations  made  1817-1822,  by  Mr.  Lewis 
Brautz,  of  Maryland.)  Mean  greatest  heat,  94°.54.;  mean  temperature,  52°.23;  mean 
greatest  cold,  0°.12 ;  mean  quantity  of  rain,  38.60  inches. 

Of  all  such  works  the  canal  of  Narbonne  has  given  most  trouble  to  its  engineers, 
from  its  excessive  filtrations  and  loss  of  water  in  the  gravelly  soil  through  which  it  is 
run.  It  is  a  branch  from  the  canal  of  Languedoc  to  the  city  of  Narbonne,  three  miles 
in  length.  As  soon  as  it  was  opened,  in  1788,  it  lost  the  value  or  contents  of  its  prism 
in  a  few  days  and  overflowed  the  surrounding  country ;  in  1789  it  still  lost  the  value 
of  its  prism  in  six  days ;  and  in  1800  it  lost  it  in  eighteen  days,  or  the  value  of  its  prism 
and  two-thirds  every  month — sixteen  and  two-thirds  times  its  contents  in  ten  months’ 
navigation.  This  evaluation  is  the  result  of  careful  and  accurate  observations;  and, 
considering  the  climate  and  soil  through  which  this  canal  runs,  it  may  fairly  be  taken 
as  a  specimen  of  the  maximum  loss  which  a  canal  can  suffer  through  filtrations  and 
evaporations. 

The  ground  through  which  runs  the  western  branch  of  our  middle  section  is  of  a 
quality  far  superior  to  the  country  through  which  runs  the  Narbonne  Canal.  It  is,  for 
six  and  one-fourth  miles,  of  an  excellent  quality ;  the  remaining  eight  and  one-half 
miles  run  through  a  rugged  and  rocky  soil,  but  clay  is  everywhere  at  hand  to  puddle 
the  bed  of  the  canal,  if  necessary.  Supposing,  therefore,  that  its  losses  from  filtrations 
and  evaporation  equaled  in  one  month  the  cube  of  its  prism,  or  519,200  cubic  yards, 
this  would  certainly  be  their  maximum,  while  the  evaluation  of  492,034  cubic  yards  of 
water,  which  we  have  given  as  the  supply  from  the  reservoir  of  Deep  Creek  in  one 
month,  is  its  minimum.  For  it  must  be  remembered  that  we  valued  this  supply  from 
the  lowest  result,  obtained  at  the  lowest  stage  of  Deep  Creek,  when  it  gave  only  five 
and  one-eighth  cubic  feet  in  a  second. 

We  have  allowed  no  loss  for  the  evaporation  for  the  surface  of  the  reservoir,  as  it 
will  be  compensated  by  the  frequent  rains  which  fall  on  the  summit  of  the  Allegheny. 
For  observations  made  in  July,  August,  September,  and  October,  1824,  in  the  valley  of 
Deep  Creek,  we  have  ascertained  that  there  fell,  from  19th  to  30j;h  July,  four  days  of 
rain,  4.36  inches,  55°  mean  temperature  ;  from  1st  to  31st  August,  eight  days  of  rain,  2.31 
inches,  63°  mean  temperature;  from  1st  to  30th  September,  twelve  days  of  rain,  3.15 
inches,  51°  mean  temperature  ;  from  1st  to  31st  October,  nine  days  of  rain,  3.19  inches, 
44°  mean  temperature;  from  19th  July  to  31st  October,  thirty-three  days  of  rain,  13 
inches,  10°  mean  temperature.  During  one  hundred  and  four  days,  of  which  thirty- 
three  were  rainy,  there  fell  13.01  inches  of  rain.  The  evaporation  was  0.10  inch  a  day, 
and  during  the  one  hundred  and  four  days,  10.40  inches ;  of  course  the  rain  more  than 
supplied  the  loss  of  evaporation. 

The  temperatures  marked  above  are  the  mean  temperatures  of  the  rainy  days.  The 
highest  temperatures  in  that  valley,  during  these  months,  were  at  midday  ;  in  July, 
76° ;  in  August,  74°  ;  in  September,  70°  ;  in  October,  72°.  The  lowest  were  at  6  in  the 
morning;  in  July,  53°  ;  in  August,  44°  ;  in  September,  32°,  and  in  October,  25°.  From 
these  observations  it  is  evident  that  less  evaporation  is  to  be  apprehended  in  the  val¬ 
ley  of  Deep  Creek  than  in  regions  more  to  the  level  of  the  ocean  ;  besides,  by  raising 
the  dam  which  forms  its  reservoir,  we  might  add  to  it  a  quantity  of  water  sufficient  to 
supply  all  the  loss  of  its  evaporation  and  filtration.  We  will  conclude  these  remarks 
on  the  reservoir  of  Deep  Creek  by  observing  that  its  surface  lies  below  the  mouths  of 
its  tributaries,  and  that  they  might,  therefore,  at  small  expense,  be  turned  into  reser¬ 
voirs  to  preserve  the  waters  of  the  valley,  when  (the  great  reservoir  of  Deep  Creek 
being  full)  they  would  otherwise  escape  over  the  dam.  For  this  purpose,  the  dams  of 
these  small  streams  should  have  sluice-gates,  to  distribute  their  supplies  whenever 
required. 

SUMMIT-LEVEL  OP  THE  MIDDLE  SECTION. 

From  these  observations  it  is  evident  that  the  eastern  and  western  branches  of  the 
middle  section  possess  sufficient  supplies  to  repair  their  losses  from  filtrations  and 
evaporation.  The  first  is  fifteen,  and  the  second  fourteen  and  three-fourths  miles  in 


30  EXTENSION  OF  THE  CHESAPEAKE  AND  OHIO  CANAL. 


length ;  and  both,  twenty-nine  and  three-fourths  miles.  If  we  subtract  this  length  from 
that  of  the  whole  Deep  Creek  route,  forty-one  miles  718  yards,  there  will  remain  eleven 
miles  1,158  yards,  or  about  eleven  and  three-fourths  miles.  If  we  subtract  it  from  the 
length  of  the  Youghiogheny  route,  (fifty  miles  1172  yards,)  there  will  remain  twenty 
miles  1,580  yards,  or  about  twenty-one  miles.  These  portions,  on  either  of  these  routes, 
may  be  designated  as  their  summit-levels.  On  the  Youghiogheny  route  this  portion 
might,  perhaps,  be  dropped  below  the  reservoirs  of  the  Youghiogheny ;  but  its  length 
and  expanse  of  water,  which  is  our  present  object,  would  remain  the  same  on  either 
level.  We  should  now  examine,  first,  what  means  exist  to  feed  these  summit-levels ; 
second,  what  each  of  these  requires  to  supply  all  its  wants  and  losses ;  third,  what  are 
the  respective  advantages  of  the  one  and  the  other,  and  which  is  the  most  advantageous 
with  respect  to  that  question. 

The  Great  and  Little  Youghiogheny  and  their  upper  tributaries  are  the  only  streams 
of  any  importance  which  can  feed  either  of  these  summit-levels.  Their  levels  with 


respect  .to  the  base-mark,  and  at  different  points,  are  as  follows : 

Feet. 

Level  of  the  Great  Youghiogheny,  at  the  mouth  of  Deep  Creek,  below  the 

base-mark .  250.00 

Level  of  the  Great  Youghiogheny,  at  the  head  of  Swallow  Falls,  below  the 

base-mark .  140.  81 

Level  of  the  Great  Youghiogheny,  one  mile  above  the  mouth  of  Indian  Run, 

below  the  base-mark . . .  70. 50 

Level  of  the  Great  Youghiogheny,  two  miles  above  the  mouth  of  Indian  Run, 

below  the  base-mark .  64.00 

Level  of  the  Great  Youghiogheny,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Little  Youghiogheny, 

below  the  base-mark .  53. 00 

Level  of  the  Great  Youghiogheny,  at  the  mouth  of  Snow  Creek,  two  miles 

above  the  bridge,  below  the  base-mark .  36. 69 

Level  of  the  Great  Youghiogheny,  at  Charles  Glade’s  Run,  below  the  base- 

mark .  28.72 

Level  of  the  Great  Youghiogheny,  at  the  mouth  of  Cherrytree  Creek,  below 

the  base-mark . . .  26. 18 

Level  of  the  Little  Youghiogheny,  where  it  is  crossed  by  the  State-road,  be¬ 
low  the  base-mark. .  44. 00 


These  levels  being  all  below  the  base-mark,  proved  that  whichever  summit-level  we 
adopt  we  must  elevate  the  waters  of  the  two  Youghioghenies  by  throwing  great  dams 
across  them.  The  height  of  these  dams  would  be  lower  and  a  less  quantity  of  lockage 
required  if  we  dropped  tlie  summit-level  of  the  Youghiogheny  route ;  but  the  length 
of  the  tunnel  from  Crableg’s  Arm,  and  deep  cutting  at  each  of  its  extremities,  would 
then  be  proportionably  augmented.  For  the  sake  of  comparison,  we  have,  therefore, 
supposed  those  two  routes  on  a  level.  A  passage  was  sought  to  open  a  communication 
between  Deep  Creek  and  the  Great  Youghiogheny  through  the  opposite  valleys  of 
Indian  Run  and  Cranberry  Run.  But  as  the  sources  of  these  runs  rise  226  feet  above 
the  base-mark,  and  the  Youghiogheny  at  the  Indian  Ruu  lies  70.50  feet  below  it,  a  dam 
across  the  Youghiogheny,  and  tunnel  through  the  Roman  Nose  ridge,  would  both  be 
indispensably  required  to  accomplish  this  object. 

An  attempt  was  also  made  to  lead  Muddy  Creek,  which  from  the  west  falls  in  the 
Youghiogheny  to  the  summit-level  of  these  routes.  But  to  lead  it  to  the  summit-level 
of  the  Deep  Creek  route  it  would  be  necessary  to  conduct  it  by  a  long  aqueduct  up¬ 
ward  of  140  feet  high,  and  to  lead  it  to  that  of  the  Youghiogheny,  to  run  a  feeder  up¬ 
ward  of  thirty  miles  before  it  reached  the  mouth  .of  Indian  Run,  and  which  would 
absorb  by  filtrations  and  evaporation,  during  its  course,  most  of  the  water  which  it 
would  receive.  Aqueducts  through  the  raviues  which  it  should  wind  round  would 
shorten  it,  but  a  great  number  of  them  would  be  required,  and  their  construction 
would  be  very  costly. 

To  ascertain  the  levels  of  Pine  Swamp  (where  rise  the  springs  of  Muddy  Creek  of 
Youghiogheny,  and  Muddy  Creek  of  Cheat  River)  and  Deep  Creek,  a  level  was  run  to 
the  summit  of  the  ridge  which  divides  the  waters  of  the  Youghiogheny  and  Cheat 
Rivers ;  this  ridge,  parallel  to  the  Roman  Nose  Ridge,  is  called  Snaggy  Mountain. 
From  this  level  it  appeared  that  the  point  from  which  rise  the  highest  springs  of  the 
two  Muddy  Creeks  is  75  feet  above  Pine  Swamp,  and  226.77  feet  above  the  base-mark. 
This  result,  which  proved  the  impossibility  of  running  the  canal  in  this  direction  from 
the  mouth  of  Deep  Creek,  proved  also  that  a  reservoir  of  three  or  four  miles  area  might 
be  formed  in  the  Pine  Swamp,  and  that  being  raised  at  least  150  feet  above  the  base- 
mark,  a  feeder  might  be  led  from  it,  following  the  eastern  ridge  of  Snaggy  Mountain, 
and  joining  Snowy  Creek,  after  winding  round  the  heads  of  the  tributaries  of  the 
Youghiogheny,  from  Snowy  Creek  to  Muddy  Creek.  This  feeder  would  be  from  eight 
to  twelye  miles  long,  aud  to  form  the  reservoir  a  dam  might  be  thrown  through  Muddy 
Creek,  of  the  Youghiogheny,  at  the  gap  where  it  breaks  through  Snaggy  Mountain. 


EXTENSION  OF  THE  CHESAPEAKE  AND  OHIO  CANAL.  31 


This  reservoir  would  afford  an  important  supply,  if  those  of  the  Little' and  Great 
Youghiogheny  should  prove  insufficient  to  feed  the  summit-levels.  We  shall  now 
enumerate  and  measure  the  capacity  of  these  several  reservoirs,  and  give  all  the  neces¬ 
sary  details  of  them. 

Reservoir  No.  1  might  he  formed  in  the  main  branch  of  the  Great  Youghiogheny  by 
thowing  a  dam  across  it,  above  the  mouth  of  Cherrvtree  Creek.  It  should  be  40  feet 
high  to  raise  the  water  6  feet  above  the  summit-level  and  allow  to  the  feeder  a  descent 
of6  inches  per  mile  ;  height  of  its  dam,  40  feet,  and  length  of  its  feeder,  to  the  dam  in 
Deep  Creek,  sixteen  miles.  Area  of  the  reservoir  exposed  to  evaporation,  2,894,333 
square  yards  ;  its  prism,  or  capacity  of  water  above  the  base-mark,  5,523,370  cubic 
yards. 

No.  2  might  be  formed  in  Cherry  Creek  by  throwing  a  dam  across  it  above  its  mouth. 
The  dam  should  be  40  feet  high,  and  the  length  of  its  feeder  sixteen  miles.  For  this 
and  all  the  following  reservoirs  we  shall  allow  the  same  data,  6  feet  water  above  the 
base-mark  and  6  inches  descent  per  mile  for  their  feeders.  Area,  1,752,000  square 
yards;  prism,  3,170,148  cubic  yards. 

No.  3  might  be  formed  ou  Youghiogheny,  between  Cherry  aud  Snowy  Creeks,  by 
throwing  a  dam  through  it  above  the  mouth  of  Snowy  Creek.  Height  of  the  dam,  50 
feet ;  length  of  the  feeder,  fourteen  miles.  Area,  1,475,444  square  yards ;  prism, 
2,796,518  cubic  yards. 

No.  4,  receiving  Laurel  Creek  and  Snowy  Creek,  might  be  formed- by  throwing  a  dam 
across  the  latter  above  its  mouth.  Height  of  its  dam,  50  feet ;  length  of  its  feeder, 
fourteen  miles.  Area,  3,444,444  square  yards  ;  prism,  6,536,666  cubic  yards. 

No.  5  might  be  formed  in  the  Great  Youghiogheny,  between  Snowy  Creek  and  the 
Little  Youghiogheny,  by  throwing  a  dam  across  it  above  the  mouth  of  the  Little 
Youghiogheny.  Height  of  the  dam,  67  feet ;  length  of  the  feeder,  ten  and  a  half  miles. 
Area,  2,833,332  square  yards  ;  prism,  5,555,555  cubic  yards. - 
No.  6  might  be  formed  in  the  Little  Youghiogheny  by  throwing  a  dam  across  its 
mouth.  Height  of  the  dam,  67  feet ;  length  of  the  feeder,  eleven  miles.  Area,  53,375 
square  yards;  prism,  106,750  cubic  yards. 

No.  7  might  be  formed  in  Dunker’s  Lick,  by  throwing  a  dam  across  it,  above  its 
mouth.  Height  of  the  dam,  75  feet ;  length  of  the  feeder,  nine  miles;  Area,  1,055,555 
square  yards  ;  prism,  1,851,851  cubic  yards. 

No.  8  might  be  formed  in  the  Great  Youghiogheny,  between  the  mouth  of  the  Little 
Youghiogheny  and  the  ledge,  by  throwing  a  dam  across  the  ledge.  The  height  of  this 
dam,  94f  feet ;  length  of  the  feeder,  six  and  a  half  miles.  Area,  2,770,666  square  yards; 
prism,  5,303,555  cubic  yards.  Areas  of  all  the  reservoirs,  16,279,149  square  yards ; 
prism  of  all  the  reservoirs,  30,844,413  cubic  yards. 

If  we  dispense  with  the  two  last  reservoirs,  whose  dams  are  the  highest  and  most 
expensive,  the  five  remaining  reservoirs  above  the  mouth  of  the  Little  Youghiogheny 
will  contain  :  Area  exposed  to  evaporation,  12,452,928  square  yards,  or  4T|y  square 
miles,  or  2,572.20  acres.  Prism  of  their  waters,  6  feet  above  the  base-mark,  besides 
6  inches  al Lowed  per  mile  of  the  length  of  the  feeder  of  each  reservoir  for  its  descent. 
These  are  all  available  to  supply  the  summit-level  23,689,007  cubic  yards. 

These  reservoirs  are  all  independent  of  one  another,  and  the  higher  ones  may  popr 
the  surplus  of  their  waters  into  the  lower  ones.  Those  numbered  3  and  5  in  the  Great 
Youghiogheny  may  be  regarded  as  one,  to  which  all  the  others  can  contribute  when  cir¬ 
cumstances  require  it.  The  dam  No.  3  might  even  be  suppressed,  which  would  reduce 
the  number  of  dams  to  5,  but  the  proper  location  of  these  dams,  as  also  their  number 
and  dimensions,  will  receive  further  investigation,  which  belong  to  the  final  project ; 
their  number  will  likely  be  reduced. 

As  to  the  total  quantity  of  water  which  these  basins  might  hold,  if  we  suppose  their 
main  depth  16  yards,  and  a  middle  horizontal  section  run  between  the  surface  aud 
bottom,  equal  in  area  to  one-half  of  the  upper  surface,  or  to  6,226,464  square  yards, 
(half  of  12,452,928  square  yards,)  it  will  amount  to  99,623,424  cubic  yards,  or,  in  round 
terms,  100,000,000  cubic  yards. 

As  to  the  time  necessary  to  fill  them,  from  observations  taken  with  care,  from  1817 
to  1824,  inclusive,  by  Mr.  Lewis  Brautz,  in  the  vicinity  of  Baltimore,  Md.,  we  have  the 
following  results  :  In  the  course  of  eight  years,  from  1817  to  1824,  there  fell,  on  a  mean 
average,  yearly,  39.89  inches.  In  1822  there  fell  the  smallest  quantity.  The  summer 
was  very  dry,  vegetation  deficient,  the  crops  of  grain  were  short.  The  quantity  of 
rain  which  fell  that  year  was  29.20  inches.  The  greatest  quantity  which  fell  was  in 
1817. .  It  amounted  to  48.55  inches.  Applying  these  data  to  the  country  round  the 
summit-level,  and  using  only  the  results  of  the  year  1822,  the  rain  which  fell  in  the 
three  first  and  three  last  months  of  this  year  amounted  to  16.70  inches,  while  that 
which  fell  in  the  same  mouths  of  the  year  1817  amounted  to  18.40  inches.  These 
16.70  inches  are  equivalent  to  0.465  cubic  yards.  Thus,  during  the  three  first  and 
last  months  of  each  year,  there  will  fall  at  least  0.46  cubic  yards  of  rain  on  each  square 
yard  of  the  heads  of  the  Youghiogheny,  and  an  area  of  217,391,304  square  yards 
would  be  required  to  collect  water  for  filling  the  100,000,000  cubic  yards  of  the 


32  EXTENSION  OF  THE  CHESAPEAKE  AND  OHIO  CANAL. 


reservoirs.*  This  area  amounts  to  70.18  square  miles;  and  the  area  of  the  valleys 
of  the  two  Youghioghenies,  above  their  junction,  and  the  surface  of  the  reservoirs 
amounts  to  much  more.  Besides,  the  heads  of  Cheat  River  could,  perhaps,  be  brought 
to  feed  the  reservoirs.  These  reservoirs  once  filled,  the  mass  of  waters  which  lies 
lower  than  the  head  of  the  feeders  will  never  alter,  and  the  upper  part,  'which  feeds  the 
summit-level,  will  alone  require  to  be  renewed  every  year.  We  have  seen  that  it  con¬ 
tains  23,689,007  cubic  yards. 

The  least  quantity  of  water  which  the  Great  Youghiogheny  gave  in  1824,  under  the 
bridge  on  the  road  from  Manfield  to  Morgantown,  was  on  the  21st  of  September,  22.58 
feet  in  a  second.  The  Little  Youghiogheny  gave,  on  the  20th  of  September  1824,  at 
German  bridge,  4.30  feet.  Total  given  by  those  streams  in  a  second,  at  their  lowest 
stage,  26.88  feet. 

This  is  the  minimum  which  they  can  give  to  supply  the  reservoirs.  In  one  month 
it  would  amount  to  2,580,480  cubic  yards,  and  supposing,  what  is  most  unlikely,  that 
the  two  Yougliioghenies  aud  their  tributaries  should  remain  in  this  sta.'ie,  and  give  no 
more  for  six  months,  from  May  to  October,  it  would  supply  the  reservoirs  with  15,482,- 
880  cubic  yards  ;  and  as  during  the  six  preceding  months  they  would  have  received 
much  more,  they  would  be  full  at  the  opening  of  navigation,  and  receive  every  month 
at  least  2,580,480  cubic  yards  as  regular  tribute. 

We  do  not  consider  in  this  calculation  the  loss  by  filtration  and  evaporation,  for  by 
raising  the  dams  of  the  reservoirs  a  quantity  of  water  would  be  added  to  them,  which 
would  overbalance  it. 

We  must  now  compare  those  supplies,  the  minimum  of  what  the  heads  of  the  two 
Yougliioghenies  can  furnish,  with  the  maximum  of  what  either  of  the  two  summit-lev¬ 
els  will  require. 

They  will  both  require  the  same  expense  of  water  for  lockage.  We  know  that  two 
lockfuls  is  the  maximum  expense  for  raising  or  lowering  a  boat,  and  eight  minutes 
are  required  for  its  passage  through  a  lock  of  30  yards  in  length,  5£  yards  in  breadth, 
and  2f  yards  in  lift.  Such  a  lock  will  contain  426.64  cubic  yards,  without  deducting 
from  it  the  draught  of  water  of  the  boat,  and  its  passage  (at  the  maximum)  will  thus 
consume  853.32  cubic  yards,  or  854  cubic  yards  at  most.  Now,  if  the  canal  is  navigated 
nine  months,  or  twro  hundred  and  seventy  days  a  year,  at  ten  hours  a  day,  and  that 
the  locks  of  the  summit-level  be  kept  in  constant  operation  all  that  time,  they  might 
pass,  allowing  eight  minutes  for  each  boat.  20,250  boats,  at  an  expense  of  water  equal 
to  17,293,500  cubic  yards  for  the  nine  months,  or  1,921,500  cubic  yards  a  month.  This 
maximum  of  water  for  the  expense  of  lockage  is  658,980  cubic  yards  less  than  the  mini¬ 
mum  which  the  reservoirs  will  receive  during  that  time. 

The  expense  of  water  for  lockage  being  17,293,500  cubic  yards,  and  the  reservoirs  con¬ 
taining  23,689,007  cubic  yards,  there  will  remain  in  reserve  to  supply  the  losses  of  the 
summit-level  from  filiations  and  evaporations,  6,395,507  cubic  yards. 

The  summit-level  of  Deep  Creek,  extending  eleven  aud  three-quarter  miles  in  length, 
will  require  413,600  cubic  yards  to  fill  it ;  and  supposing  that  it  loses  by  filiations 
and  evaporation  the  value  of  its  prism  every  month,  or  nine  times  in  the  year,  it  will 
expend  3,722,400  cubic  yards.  The  profile  of  its  feeder  having  a  supposed  area  of  10 
square  yards,  and  a  length  of  ten  and  one-half  miles,  it  will  consume,  at  the  same  rate, 
1,663,200  cubic  yards.  Total  consumption  for  nine  months,  5,385,600  cubic  yards.  Re¬ 
trenching  this  quantity  from  the  surplus  mass  of  the  reservoirs,  there  will  still  remain 
1,009,907  cubic  yards,  which,  after  supplying  all  the  waste  of  lockage  and  the  losses 
of  the  summit-level  from  filtrations  and  evaporation,  will  serve  as  an  additional  supply 
to  repair  those  of  the  eastern  and  western  branches  of  the  middle  section. 

The  Youghiogheny  summit-level,  extending  twenty-one  miles  in  length,  will  lose, 
from  filtrations  and  evaporation,  on  the  same  principle,  739,200  cubic  yards  a  month, 
(the  value  of  its  prism,)  and  6,652,800  cubic  yards  in  nine  months.  It  would  thus 
absorb  the  whole  surplus  mass  of  the  reservoirs,  after  the  waste  of  lockage,  and  require 
a  much  greater  expenditure  of  water  than  the  Deep  Creek  summit-level. 

Thus  the  important  advantage  of  a  greater  supply  of  water,  by  a  length  shorter  by 
nine  miles,  if  a  tunnel  shorter  by  two  aud  a  half  miles,  under  the  Deep  Creek  route, 
superior  to  the  other ;  though  the  final  surveys  only  can  settle  that  point,  yet  at  this 
stage  of  our  operations  we  would  recommend  that  route  in  preference.  However,  the 
analysis  which  we  have  just  concluded  is  a  convincing  proof  that  a  canal  by  either  of 
these  routes  over  the  chain  of  the  Alleghanies,  between  the  mouths  of  Savage  River 
and  Bear  Creek,  is  perfectly  practicable.  The  total  distance  from  the  mouth  of  Savage 
River  to  that  of  Bear  Creek  will  be  forty-one  miles  at  least ;  the  rise  from  the  mouth 
of  Savage  River  to  the  base-mark,  1,432  feet ;  aud  the  fall  from  the  base-mark  to  the 
mouth  of  Bear  Creek,  956.35  feet ;  total  of  lockage,  2,388.35  feet. 

The  preparatory  surveys  executed  on  this  middle  section  were  performed  by  Captain 
McNeill,  of  the  United  States  Topographical  Engineers,  and  Mr.  Shriver,  assistant  civil 
engineer,  employed  by  the  United  States.  The  talents  and  activity  displayed  by  these 
gentlemen.and  their  assistants  enabled  the  board  to  collect  the  facts  on  which  they 


EXTENSION  OF  THE  CHESAPEAKE  AND  OHIO  CANAL.  33 


rest  their  opinion  of  the  practicability  of  this  middle  section,  and  of  the  best  direction 
through  which  its  route  can  be  directed. 

Captain  McNeill  was  assisted  in  these  labors  by  Messrs.  De  Russy,  Cook,  Trimble, 
Hazard,  Dillabanty,  Fessenden,  and  Williams,  lieutenants  of  artillery,  whose  scientific 
education,  imbibed  in  the  Academy  at  West  Point,  was  thus  made  valuable  in  the  most 
efficient  and  useful  manner  to  their  country  and  to  themselves.  Mr.  Shriver  was 
assisted  by  Messrs.  Jonathan  Knight,  John  S.  Williams,  Freeman  Lewis,  and  Joseph 
Shriver.  The  memoirs,  surveys,  and  maps  of  these  gentlemen  accompany  this  report. 

Before  we  conclude  the  article  relating  to  this  middle  section,  we  should  give  an 
analysis  of  two  other  routes  which  have  been  proposed  for  leading  the  canal  over  the 
Allegheny  ;  the  one  by  ascending  Will’s  Creek,  (a  stream  which  falls  in  the  Potomac  at 
Cumberland;)  and  descending  to  the  Youghiogheny  by  the  valley  of  Casselman’s River ; 
the  other  by  passing  from  the  valley  of  the  Potomac  to  that  of  Cheat  River,  and  thus 
descending  to  the  Monougahela. 

First.  Two  of  the  head  springs  of  Will’s  Creek  rise  very  near  Flaherty  Creek,  which 
falls  in  Casselman’s  River,  below  Salisbury  ;  the  eastern  is  called  Laurel  Run  and  the 
other  Shock’s  River.  The  shortest  distance  between  Laurel  Run  and  Flaherty  Creek 
is  one  mile  756  yards.  It  was  measured  from  Wilhelm’s  saw-mill,  on  Laurel  River,  to 
Engle’s  saw-mill,  on  Flaherty  Creek.  The  first  is  156  feet  lower  than  the  second.  A 
deep  cut  of  333  yards  long  and  35  feet  deep,  in  the  highest  part  of  it,  on  the  side  of 
Engle’s  saw-mill,  a  tunnel  of  1,483  yards,  and  another  deep  cut  700  yards  long  and  of 
the  same  depth  as  the  former,  on  the  side  of  Laurel  Run,  would  be  required  to  unite 
those  two  streams.  The  greatest  height  of  the  ridge  above  the  bed  of  the  tunnel 
would  be  156  feet.  This  route  offers  great  advantages  if  we  only  considered  the  short¬ 
ness  of  the  distance  and  tunnel ;  but  as  to  the  essential  condition  of  a  sufficient  supply 
of  water,  it  is  absolutely  out  of  the  question.  Flaherty’s  Creek,  at  Engle’s  mill,  gives 
only  0.415  cubic  foot  in  a  second,  and  Laurel  Run,  at  Wilhelm’s  mill,  0.600  cubic  foot, 
(at  their  lowest  stage  in  1826.)  They  would  only  give,  together,  1.015  cubic  feet  per 
second  to  feed  the  whole  summit-level.  The  details,  which  we  have  already  given  in 
analyzing  the  Deep  Creek  River  route  and  summit-level,  are  sufficient  to  show  the  im¬ 
practicability  of  receiving  a  canal  by  the  route  of  Flaherty’s  Creek  with  so  small  a 
supply  of  water. 

As  to  the  route  between  Shock’s  Fork  and  Flaherty’s  Creek,  the  season  was  too  ad¬ 
vanced  to  measure  accurately  its  length,  or  the  tunnel  and  deep  cuts  which  it  would 
require. 

Their  profile  will  be  surveyed  next  season.  This  route  would  be  longer  than  the 
other,  and  its  summit-level  should  be  fed  by  the  waters  of  Casselman’s  River  above 
Salisbury,  led  by  a  feeder  to  the  western  extremity  of  the  tunnel.  This  feeder,  follow¬ 
ing  the  eastern  side  of  Casselman’s  Valley,  would  receive  the  waters  of  its  tributaries 
between  Salisbury  and  Flaherty’s  Creek.  At  their  lowest  stage  these  tributaries  gave, 
altogether,  5  feet  in  a  second,  and  Casselman’s  River,  above  Salisbury,  15.33  cubic  feet ; 
total,  20.33  cubic  feet  to  feed  the  summit-level.  This  quantity  is  not  considerable 
when  we  consider  that,  on  a  length  of  thirty  miles  from  the  summit-level  to  Cumber¬ 
land,  the  canal  would  have  to  draw  most  of  its  water  from  Casselman’s  River,  for  Will’s 
Creek  is  a  torrent,  which,  in  the  greatest  part  of  its  course,  gives  but  little  water  in 
summer.  The  length  of  this  summit-level,  and  of  the  route  which  the  canal  would 
thus  trace,  are  less  than  by  Deep  Creek.  As  to  their  comparative  heights,  no  survey 
was  made  in  the  season  of  1824  to  ascertain  the  difference.  We  shall  now  expose  the 
reasons  why  the  western  branch  of  the  canal  was  not  led  through  the  valley  of  the 
Monougahela,  (before  concluding  this  part  of  our  report.) 

We  have  already  seen  that  the  valley  of  Cheat  River,  through  which  it  would  be 
necessary  to  pass  to  the  Monougahela,  is  divided  from  the  Upper  Youghiogheny  by  a 
ridge  whose  greatest  depression,  at  the  head  of  the  two  Muddy  Creeks,  is  226.77  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  base-mark.  A  tunnel  would,  therefore,  be  necessary  to  pass 
from  the  valley  of  the  Youghiogheny  to  that  of  Cheat  River. 

A  single  inspection  of  the  map  will  show  that  the  route  of  the  canal  would  be  very 
much  lengthened  by  running  its  summit-level  from  the  heads  of  the  North  Branch  of 
the  Potomac  to, those  of  Cheat  River,  and  that  it  should  be  raised  to  a  much  higher 
level  than  on  the  route  of  Deep  Creek.  There  is  every  reason  to  believe  that  the  bed 
of  Cheat  River  has  a  more  rapid  descent  than  that  of  the  Youghiogheny ;  and  that,  where 
it  forces  through  the  Laurel  Hill,  it  is  already  nearly  on  a  level  with  the  Youghiogheny 
at  Connellsville,  for  at  this  gap  and  a  little  above  Furnace  Run  it  begins  to  be  navi¬ 
gable.  Its  bed  is  here  about  150  yards  wide.  The  highest  floods  in  Cheat  River  do  not 
rise  above  eight  or  ten  feet  at  Furnace  Run,  and  at  its  lowest  stage  in  August  and 
September  it  is  very  low  at  this  place,  and  often  fordable.  Indeed,  Cheat  River  to  its 
junction  with  the  Monougahela  receives  no  stream  of  any  importance  but  the  Big 
Sandy,  whose  supply  is  constaut,  but  in  the  summer  is  very  trifling,  even  toward  its 
mouth  and  in  the  lower  part  of  its  course.  After  descending  along  a  rocky  aud  very 
precipitous  bed,  Cheat  River  mingles  its  clear  and  limpid  waters  with  the  muddy 
stream  of  the  Monongahela,  whose  bed  and  shores  are  all  formed  of  alluvial  soil. 

H.  Ex.  208—3 


34  EXTENSION  OF  THE  CHESAPEAKE  AND  OHIO  CANAL. 


The  Monongahela  has  absolutely  the  same  features  as  the  Ohio ;  its  shores  are  flat, 
but  raised  perpendicularly  along  both  sides  of  the  river  to  the  height  of  15  or  25  feet 
above  the  line  of  water,  formed  of  a  rich  alluvial  soil.  They  are  covered  by  the  cur¬ 
rent,  and  when  the  river  rises  they  crumble  into  it  and  render  its  waters  muddy. 
The  floods  of  the  Monongahela  are  considerable.  At  Brownsville  it  rises  38  feet,  while 
at  its  lowest  stage  its  depth  is  only  from  12  to  15  inches  on  its  highest  bars.  The  two 
banks  present  all  along  a  succession  of  flats  and  bluffs.  The  flats  of  one  bank  are 
generally  opposite  to  the  bluffs  of  the  other,  aud  the  former  are  found  where  the  river 
expands,  while  the  latter  close  on  its  banks  where  it  narrows.  The  chief  tributaries 
of  the  Monongahela  are  on  its  right  shore,  George’s  Creek,  below  Mr.  Gallatin’s  resi¬ 
dence,  Big  Redstone,  below  Brownsville,  and  on  the  left  Ten-Mile  Creek.  These  streams 
flow  constantly,  but  in  summer  give  but  a  small  quantity  of  water,  an  observation 
which  is  also  applicable  to  many  of  the  tributaries  of  the  Youghiogheny. 

If  the  western  section  of  the  Chesapeake  and  Ohio  Canal  cannot  be  led  to  the 
Monongahela  it  will  at  least  embrancli  with  it  at  McKeesport,  and,  perhaps,  when  a 
denser  population  will  render  it  desirable,  a  line  of  junction  may  be  drawn  between 
Cheat  River  and  the  Valley  of  Youghiogheny.  It  would  be  fed  by  a  reservoir  above 
the  gap  of  Cheat  River  and  the  constant  springs  which  run  from  the  western  ridge  of 
Laurel  Hill. 

WESTERN  SECTION. 

This  section  begins  at  the  mouth  of  Bear  Creek  and  ends  at  Pittsburgh,  descending 
the  valleys  of  the  Youghiogheny  and  Monongahela  to  the  Ohio. 

From  the  mouth  of  Bear  Creek  to  that  of  Casselmau’s  River  the  Youghiogheny  runs 
in  a  very  winding  course  between  a  succession  of  flats  and  bluffs,  the  flats  of  one  shore 
being  generally  opposed  to  the  bluffs  of  the  other,  the  banks  high  and  rugged  where 
they  wind  in,  aud  flat  where  they  wind  out.  The  two  banks  present  nearly  the  same 
difficulties.  The  right  shore,  however,  seems  the  best.  The  distance  between  those 
portions,  following  the  winding  of  the  river,  is  about  sixteen  and  a  half  miles. 

Casselman’s  River  is  about  one  hundred  yards  wide  at  its  mouth.  It  is  a  tine  river, 
and  will  give  a  great  deal  of  water  to  the  canal.  At  the  driest  season  it  offers  from  8 
inches  to  1  foot  in  depth.  Before  joining  the  Youghiogheny  it  receives  Laurel  Hill 
Creek. 

From  the  mouth  of  Casselman’s  River  till  you  reach  two  or  three  miles  above  Con- 
nellsville,  the  Youghiogheny  forces  through  Briery  Mountain  and  Laurel  Hill,  and  its 
bed  is  very  deep.  The  left  bank  is  very  high  aud  rugged,  the  right  somewhat  less.  In 
this  space  of  about  twenty-eight  and  a  half  miles  the  canal  must  be  frequently  cut  in 
a  shelf  on  the  sides  of  the  valley,  or  run  on  embankments  supported  by  a  wall.  The 
river  has  a  fall  of  about  16  feet  at  Ohiopyle  Falls  ;  it  is  here  about  150  yards  wide. 

Connellsville  is  considered  as  the  head  of  navigation  in  the  Youghiogheny.  In  the 
driest  season  it  has  here  from  S  inches  to  1  foot  in  depth. 

From  Connellsville  to  Robstown  the  river  winds  during  twenty-four  or  twenty-five 
miles.  On  all  this  extent  the  right  bank  is  far  preferable  to  the  other.  Except  in 
three  or  four  places,  where  you  meet  with  bluffs,  it  consists  of  flats  or  gentle  slopes, 
where  the  canal  can  be  run  without  difficulty.  As  to  these  bluffs,  they  consist  of 
schistose  rock,  easy  to  work.  The  only  stream  of  any  importance  which  joins  the 
Youghiogheny  between  Connellsville  and  Robstown  is  Jacob’s  Creek,  and  it  gives 
but  little  water  in  dry  seasons.  That  route  is  also  intercepted  by  two  or  three  deep 
ravines,  which  the  canal  must  cross  on  aqueducts 

The  distance  between  Robstown  and  McKeesport  is  about  sixteen  miles.  Along  this 
route  the  right  shore  remains  preferable  to  the  other ;  it  consists  of  a  succession  of  flats 
and  spurs,  which,  being  of  a  schistose  nature  and  moderate  height,  will  offer  no  con¬ 
siderable  obstructions  to  the  canal. 

From  McKeesport  to  Pittsburgh  the  right  shore  of  the  Monongahela  offers  a  most  fa¬ 
vorable  ground,  except  along  two  spaces  of  about  a  mile  each,  where  rugged  bluffs 
close  on  the  river.  The  first  is  below  Judge  Wallis’s  and  the  field  of  Braddock’s  defeat ; 
the  second  before  reaching  Pittsburgh.  The  whole  distance  in  following  the  right 
bank  of  the  river  is,  between  McKeesport  and  Pittsburgh,  from  fifteen  to  sixteen  miles, 
miles. 

The  highest  floods  of  the  Youghiogheny  occur  between  Casselman’s  River  and  Con¬ 
nellsville!  They  rise  to  18  feet.  At  Connellsville  they  rise  from  12  to  15  feet.  Salt-wells 
maybe  dug  in  its  valley ;  coal  and  iron  are  abundant;  and  excellent  materials  for 
building,  timber  and  stone,  are  found  all  along  it. 

The  preparatory  surveys  of  this  western  section  were  not  commenced  during  the 
last  season,  1824.  They  can  alone  fix  the  general  route  of  the  canal ;  they  will  be  di¬ 
rected  on  the  following  bases  :  From  Bear  Creek  the  canal  must  follow  the  right  shore 
of  the  valley,  descending  along  the  Youghiogheny  ;  and  though  it  is  most  favorable, 
(presenting  a  rugged  bank  only  for  four  or  five  hundred  yards,)  when  it  reaches  Sel¬ 
by  sport  bridge,  two  lines  of  direction  may  be  tried,  one  along  the  right  and  the  other 
along  the  left  bank,  to  the  old  salt-works.  The  depth  and  breadth  of  the  valleys  and 


EXTENSION  OF  THE  CHESAPEAKE  AND  OHIO  CANAL.  35 


ravines,  which  it  will  he  necessary  to  cross  on  aqueducts,  will  he  measured,  and  the 
location  of  these  aqueducts  and  of  the  dams  to  form  reservoirs  will  be  fixed.  If  be¬ 
tween  Selbysport  and  the  old  salt-works  the  left  shore  presents  any  advantages  over 
the  other,  deserving  the  expense  and  trouble  of  crossing  twice  the  Youghiogheny,  the 
location  and  dimensions  of  two  aqueducts,  one  at  Selbysport  and  above  the  old  salt¬ 
works,  will  he  determined,  and  a  feeder  led  from  Casselman’s  River  to  the  latter. 

From  the  old  salt-works  to  the  Ohiopyle  Falls,  the  canal  must  follow  the  right 
shore,  which  is  most  favorable,  and  then,  crossing  Indian  Creek  on  an  aqueduct,  continue 
along  the  same  hank  to  the  paper-mill,  four  or  five  miles  south  of  Connellsville.  It 
will  be  proper  to  ascertain  whether  its  line  should  not  leave  the  valley  of  the  Youghi¬ 
ogheny  above  the  Ohiopyle  Falls,  and,  running  east,  gain  the  southern  branch  of  In¬ 
dian  Creek,  to  rejoin  the  Youghiogheny  by  descending  Indian  Creek  Valley. 

From  the  paper-mill  the  canal  should  he  run  at  a  sufficient  elevation  above  the  river 
to  leave  the  shore  aud  gain,  if  possible,  the  high  level  which  lies  east  of  Connellsville, 
in  order  to  turn  round  the  rugged  bluff  below  that  place.  From  thence,  following  the 
right  shore,  it  will  reach  Robstown,  after  crossing  on  aqueducts  Maunet’s  Creek  and 
Jacob’s  Creek.  The  localities  and  dimensions  of  these  aqueducts  must  be  determined 
as  well  as  the  resources  which  these  streams  may  afford  to  supply  the  canal  by  turning 
them  into  reservoirs. 

From  Robstown  to  McKeesport,  keeping  along  the  right  shore,  it  must  cross  Sed- 
wickly  Creek  over  an  aqueduct,  whose  dimensions  and  location  must  be  determined. 
As  this  creek  has  two  considerable  branches,  they  must  be  examined  to  determine 
whether  reservoirs  cannot  be  made  in  them.  From  McKeesport  to  Pittsburgh  the  canal 
will  follow  the  right  shore  of  the  valley  of  the  Monongahela,  crossing  in  succession 
Crooked  Run,  Turtle  Creek,  aud  Nine  Mile  Run  on  aqueducts. 

To  ascertain  whether  from  the  paper-mill  the  right  shores  of  the  Youghiogheny  and 
Monongahela  are  certamly  the  best,  a  level  should  be  run  along  their  valleys  on  the  left 
shore,  and  the  locations  and  dimensions  of  the  dams  or  aqueducts  which  it  would  be 
necessary  to  run  through  the  Youghiogheny  at  McKeesport,  and  through  the  Monon¬ 
gahela  near  its  confluence  with  the  Youghiogheny,  in  case  this  route  was  adopted, 
should  be  fixed  and  calculated. 

It  will  also  be  essential  to  try  whether  the  canal  might  not  turn  to  the  west  of  that 
narrow  and  rugged  portion  of  the  valley  of  the  Youghiogheny  where  it  forces  its  way 
through  Briery  Mountain  and  Laurel  Hill.  For  this  purpose  a  level  should  be  run 
from  Selbysport  and  some  point  of  a  proper  elevation,  and  cross  the  Briery  Mountain  at 
the  depression  which  it  offers  between  the  heads  of  Buffalo  Marsh  Run  and  the  eastern 
branch  of  Sandy  Creek.  This  level  should  then  wind  round  the  ravines  of  the  head 
of  the  western  branch  of  Sandy  Creek  till  it  met  the  Laurel  Hill  at  the  spot  where  it 
might  be  crossed  by  the  shoi'test  tunnel.  When  it  reaches  its  western  slope  it  should 
run  northwardly  along  its  foot,  to  descend  by  one  of  its  ravines  to  the  Youghiogheny, 
opposite  the  paper-mills. 

On  the  whole,  the  western  section  of  the  canal,  from  the  mouth  of  Bear  Creek  to 
that  of  the  Monongahela,  at  Pittsburgh,  offers  no  obstacles  which  may  not  be  surmounted? 
at  a  reasonable  expense  ;  aud  the  waters  of  the  Youghiogheny,  Bear  Creek,  and  Cas- 
selman’s  River  are  amply  sufficient  to  feed  it.  Large  reservoirs  may  be  formed  in 
Bear  Creek  and  Cassel man’s  River  by  throwing  dams  across  them,  and  on  the  route 
from  Casselman’s  to  the  paper-mills,  and  at  the  mouth  of  the  Youghiogheny  in  the 
Monongahela.  The  practicability  of  this  section  is  out  of  question. 

Its  length  will  be  about  one  hundred  miles,  aud  its  descent  from  Bear  Creek  to 
Pittsburgh  584-J  feet,  as  Pittsburgh  is  756  feet  above  the  level  of  the  ocean.  The  in¬ 
vestigation  of  the  topography  and  water-courses  of  the  country  through  which  the 
Chesapeake  and  Ohio  Canal  should  run,  and  the  results  of  our  preparatory  surveys, 
obtained  up  to  the  present^  moment,  demonstrate  that  this  noble  enterprise  is  prac¬ 
ticable  ;  and,  although  we  have  not  yet  sufficient  data  to  calculate  the  expense  of 
the  work,  there  is  every  probability  that  it  will  not  bear  any  comparison  with  the  po¬ 
litical,  commercial,  and  military  advantages  which  it  will  procure  to  the  Union. 

Tlffi  total  result  of  the  length,  rise,  and  fall  of  the  canal  is  as  follows : 


Total  length : 

From  the  tide-water,  in  the  Potomac,  to  Cumberland,  (from  Messrs.  Mone  and 

Briggs’s  survey) . . . 

From  Cumberland  to  the  mouth  of  Savage  River,  (from  report  of  Major  Abert, 

United  States  Topographical  Engineers) . 

From  the  mouth  of  Savage  River  to  that  of  Bear  Creek,  by  the  Deep*  Creek 
route,  (from  the  surveys  of  Captain  McNeill,  United  States  Topographical  En¬ 
gineers,  and  Mr.  Shriver,  United  States  assistant  civil  engineer) . 

From  the  mouth  of  Bear  Creek  to  Pittsburgh,  (from  Mr.  ShrivePs  computa¬ 
tion  . - . . 


Milfes. 
182 
27  * 

41 

100 


3504- 


36  EXTENSION  OF  THE  CHESAPEAKE  AND  OHIO  CANAL. 


Total  rise : 

From  tide-water,  in  the  Potomac,  to  Cumberland,  (from  the  profile  of  Cumber¬ 


land  road) .  357 

From  Cumberland  to  the  mouth  of  Savage  River,  (from  Major  Abert’s  survey)  327-£ 
From  the  mouth  of  Savage  River-to  the  base-mark  on  the  Deep  Creek  sum¬ 
mit-level,  (from  Captain  McNeill’s  survey) .  1, 432 


2, 296£ 


Total  descent : 

Feet. 

From  the  base-mark  to  the  mouth  of  Bear  Creek . .  956 

From  thence  to  the  Ohio,  at  Pittsburgh .  584£ 

1, 540£ 

Total  lockage  for  rise  and  descent .  3, 837 

*  *  *  *  *  # 


S.  BERNARD, 

Brigadier-  G  eneral. 
JOS.  G.  TOTTEN, 

Major  Engineers,  and  Brevet  Lieutenant-Colonel. 


Report  of  the  hoard  of  internal  improvement  on  the  Chesapeake  and  Ohio  Canal,  comprising 
the  plan  and  estimate  of  the  same,  October  23,  1826. 

The  operations  which  have  been  executed  in  the  field,  in  1824,  in  relation  to  the  con¬ 
templated  Chesapeake  and  Ohio  Canal,  had  chiefly  for  object  to  ascertain  the  practica¬ 
bility  of  the  undertaking.  Those  performed  in  1825  were  to  determine  the  route  to  be 
recommended,  as  also  to  obtain  the  data  necessary  to  frame  a  general  plan  of  the 
work  and  a  preparatory  estimate  of  the  expense. 

Another  series  of  operations  remains  yet  to  be  executed:  1.  To  locate  accurately 
the  canal  on  the  ground,  and  to  fix  the  final  site  of  the  locks,  aqueducts,  culverts, 
dams,  bridges,  &c.  2.  To  frame  for  each  portion  of  canal  the  plaus  and  profiles  neces¬ 
sary  for  its  execution.  3.  To  make  on  the  spot  the  calculations  of  excavation  and  em¬ 
bankment.  4.  To  draw  up  the  estimate  of  each  individual  work  according  to  local 
circumstances.  5..  To  prepare  the  proper  specifications  to  put  the  work  under  contract. 
This  series  of  operations  belongs  more  properly  to  the  construction  tli.n  to  the  general 
plan  of  the  canal,  and  may  be  deferred  until  the  execution  shall  have  been  decided. 
These  operations  will  then  keep  pace  with  the  execution  of  the  work,  and  their  results 
for  each  portion  will  improve  by  the  experience  gradually  acquired  during  the  con¬ 
struction  of  the  canal. 

These  considerations,  the  scarcity  of  means  at  our  disposal  at  this  time,  and  the  ex¬ 
pediency  of  affording  a  result  as  to  this  great,  important  national  work,  have  induced 
us  to  limit  the  surveys  to  those  strictly  necessary  to  enable  us  to  frame  a  general  plan 
and  a  preparatory  estimate. 

In  the  report  submitted  by  the  board  on  the  2d  of  February,  1825,  (marked  A  among 
the  documents  which  accompanied  the  President’s  message  of  the  14th  of  February, 
1825,)  all  the  experimental  lines  surveyed  in  1824  have  been  described,  and  mention 
has  been  made  of  several  others  which  were  yet  to  be  surveyed.  We  have  also  pre¬ 
sented,  in  the  same  report  A,  the  considerations  relative  to  the  hydrography  of  the 
country  in  the  general  direction  of  the  canal.  We  will,  therefore,  confine  ourselves  to 
the  description  of  the  experimental  lines,  which,  on  account  of  the  advanced  season  in 
1824,  had  been  postponed  to  1825 ;  we  will  compare  these  lines  to  the  others,  and  point 
out  the  route  which  seems  to  us  entitled  to  preference. 

Experimental  lines. 

Summit-level  by  Deep  Creek. — In  the  report  A,  it  has  been  anticipated  that  the  sec¬ 
tion  of  canal  from  the  tunnel  at  Derrickman’s  Arm  to  the  mouth  of  Bear  Creek  would 
follow  the  valley  of  Deep  Creek  as  far  as  the  Rapids,  then  turn  Panther’s  Point,  and 
descend  to  the  mouth  of  Bear  Creek,  along  the  left  side  of  the  Youghiogheny.  How¬ 
ever,  it  became  necessary  to  compare  this  route  with  another  more  direct,  which,  fol¬ 
lowing  the  former  as  far  as  Deep  Creek  bridge,  would  continue  to  Rock  Lick  Run,  a 
western  tributary  of  Bear  Creek.  The  survey  has  shown  that,  the  bottom  of  canal  be¬ 
ing  assumed  three  feet  above  the  bottom  of  Deep  Creek  at  the  bridge,  a  tunnel  would 


EXTENSION  OF  THE  CHESAPEAKE  AND  OHIO  CANAL.  37 


be  necessary  to  cross  the  ridge  which  separates  Buffalo  Marsh  Run  from  Rock  Lick  Run. 
The  distance  and  descent  are  as  follows : 


Sections. 

Miles. 

Yards. 

Feet. 

From  the  eastern  end  of  the  tunnel  at  Derrickman’s  Arm  to 
the  base-mark  at  Deep  Creek _ _ _ . . _ _ _ _ _ 

6 

1,048 

Descent  in  this  distance  _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  _ _ 

000 

From  the  base-mark  to  the  debouch  into  Rock  Lick  Run. .. 
Descent  in  this  distance . . . . . . 

5 

38£ 

000 

From  this  debouch  to  the  mouth  of  Bear  Creek . 

7 

535i 

Descent  in  this  distance.. . . 

912 

Total . 

18 

1,622 

912 

In  this  total  distance,  two  tunnels  would  be  necessary :  one  at  Derrickman’s  Arm, 
whose  length  would  be  1  mile  568  yards,  and  whose  bottom  would  be  below  the  top  of 
the  ridge,  233  feet;  one  at  Buffalo  Marsh  Run,  whose  length  would  be  2  miles  254 
yards,  and  whose  bottom  would  be  below  the  top  of  the  ridge  343  feet ;  total  length 
of  tunnels  3  miles  822  yards. 

In  order  to  remove  all  doubts  as  to  the  expediency  of  this  portion  of  canal-route,  and 
to  lessen,  as  much  as  practicable,  the  length  of  the  tunnels  and  the  excavation  at 
their  deep  cuts,  a  second  line,  13  feet  9  inches  higher  than  the  preceding  one,  has  been 
tried ;  the  results  of  which  are  as  follows : 


Sections. 

Miles. 

Yards. 

Feet. 

From  the  eastern  end  of  the  tunnel  at  Derrickman’s  Arm  to 
the  base-mark  at  Deep  Creek  bridge . . . 

7 

216 

Descent  in  this  distance . . . . . . . . 

0 

From  the  base-mark  to  the  debouch  into  Rock  Lick  Run. .. 

5 

m 

Descent  in  this  distance _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 

0 

From  this  debouch  to  the  mouth  of  Bear  Creek . . . 

7 

535£ 

Descent  in  this  distance ...... _ _ _ _ ... _ _ ...... _ 

925| 

19 

790 

925f 

As  to  the  length  of  the  tunnels  and  the  height  of  the  ridges  above  the  bottom  of 
tunnels,  they  are  respectively  : 


Sections. 

Miles. 

Yards. 

Feet. 

Derrickman’s  Arm,  length . . . . . . . . 

1 

278 

Height,  of  the  rido'e  .  _  _  _ _ 

219i 

Buffalo  Marsh  Run,  length  . . . . . . . 

1 

1,215 

Height  of  the  ridge _ _ .............. ......  ...... ...... 

3291 

2 

1,493 

This  arrangement  would  lessen  the  length  of  tunnels  by  1,089  yards,  and  also  the 
excavation  through  the  valley  of  Deep  Creek  by  at  least  1,000,000  cubic  yards.  But 
the  level  of  this  route  being  13f  feet  higher  than  that  of  the  former  route,  the  volume 
of  available  water  in  the  reservoir  of  Deep  Creek  would  be  much  diminished,  and  it 
would  also  become  necessary  to  raise,  by  13£  feet,  the  dams  recommended  (in  the  report 
A)  across  the  Youghiogheny,  in  order  to  feed  the  canal ;  a  circumstance  which  would 
increase  the  expense  and  difficulty  attending  the  erection  of  these  dams.  It  must  be 
observed  that  Deep  Creek  alone  is  altogether  unable  to  feed  a  summit-level,  while  it 
scarcely  yields,  during  the  dry  season,  5  cubic  feet  of  water  per  second.  Its  tributaries 
are  liable  to  become  entirely  dry,  as  happened  in  1825. 

However,  we  will  compare  this  direct  route,  running  from  Derrickman’s  Arm  to  the 


38 


EXTENSION  OF  THE  CHESAPEAKE  AND  OHIO  CANAL. 


moutli  of  Bear  Creek,  with  that  through  Deep  Creek  and  the  right  side  of  the  Yough- 
iogheuy,  and  whose  distance  and  descent  are  as  follows: 


Sections. 

Miles. 

Yards. 

Feet. 

From  the  eastern  end  of  the  tunnel  at  Derrickman’s  Arm 

to  the  base-mark  at  Deep  Creek  bridge . 

Descent  in  this  distance . . 

6 

1,048 

From  the  base-mark  to  the  western  end  of  the  summit-level . 
Descent  in  this  distance . 

6 

204f 

From  the  western  end  of  the  summit-level  to  the  mouth  of 
Bear  Creek . . . 

15 

100 

Descent  in  this  distance . . . . . . . 

912 

Total . . . 

27 

1, 352$ 

912 

On  this  portion  of  route  there  would  be  one  tunnel  only,  (at  Derrickman’s  Arm,) 
whose  length,  as  already  stated,  would  he  1  mile  568  yards.  The  distance  and  de¬ 
scent  in  following  the  direct  route  would  be,  as  above,  19  miles  790  yards  925£  feet. 

The  length  of  the  two  tunnels  taken  together  would  be,  as  above,  2  miles  1,493 
yards. 

The  direct  route  would,  therefore,  be  eight  miles,  562§-  yards  shorter  than  the  other, 
but  it  would  require  a  greater  length  of  tunnel  by  1  mile  568  yards,  and  cause  an 
increase  of  lockage  of  27£  feet,  which,  as  to  time  and  expense,  gives  a  decided  advan¬ 
tage  to  the  other  route.  Again,  the  descent  from  the  debouch  into  Rock  Lick  Run  to 
the  mouth  of  Bear  Creek  is  925£  feet,  on  a  distance  of  7  miles  535^  yards,  which, 
on  the  supposition  of  a  uniform  declivity,  could  afford  but  115  yards  to  the  location 
of  one  lock,  eight  feet  lift,  with  its  adjoining  pond  ;  but  this  declivity  is  far  from  being 
uniform,  and  in  some  places  it  will  be  so  rapid  as  to  oblige  to  locate  the  locks  quite 
close  to  each  other,  a  circumstance  which  would  involve  the  expense  of  a  double  set  of 
locks.  All  these  considerations,  added  to  the  difficulty  of  feeding  the  upper  level, 
induce  us  to  reject  this  direct  route,  and  to  give  the  preference  to  that  through  the 
valleys  of  Deep  Creek  and  of  the  Youghiogheuy,  as  assumed  in  the  report  A,  (February, 
1825.) 

Summit-level  by  Flaugherty  Creek. — But  a  much  more  important  route  was  yet  to  be  ex¬ 
amined,  which,  having  its  summit-level  at  the  source  of  Will’s  Creek,  would  commence 
at  Cumberland,  ascend  this  creek,  cross  the  ridge  which  separates  Will’s  Creek  from 
Casselman’s  River,  and  descend  the  valley  of  this  stream  to  debouch  into  the  Youghio- 
gheny  at  its  junction  with  Casselmau’s  River  and  Laurel  Hill  Run.  Mention  has  been 
made  of  this  route  in  report  A,  (pages  40  and  41.)  Some  experimental  lines  were  sur¬ 
veyed  on  the  summit-ground  in  1824,  and  some  measurements  of  water  were  taken  ; 
but  the  season  being  then  too  far  advanced  to  prosecute  further  the  surveys  and  level- 
iugs  relative  to  this  route,  the  board  were  compelled  to  defer  their  execution  until 
1825;  and  as  early  as  the  12th  of  March,  1825,  they  framed  detailed  instructions  re¬ 
specting  the  surveys  and  investigations  necessary  to  ascertain  the  practicability  of  a 
route  of  canal  in  this  direction.  This  route  deserved  so  much  the  more  a  careful  ex¬ 
amination  that  it  promised,  by  means  of  a  tunnel,  a  shorter  distance,  but  it  became 
necessary  to  ascertain,  in  the  first  instance,  the  minimum  length  of  the  tunnel  which 
should  receive,  at  its  western  end,  water  enough  from  Casselman’s  River  to  supply  the 
summit-level  and  a  portion  of  the  canal  down  Well’s  Creek.  Upon  this  point  rested 
the  practicability  of  this  route.  Indeed,  the  survey  made  in  1824  had  tried  a  tunnel  of 
1,483  yards  in  length,  with  a  greatest  height  of  ridge  of  156  feet ;  but  the  essential 
condition  of  a  sufficient  supply  of  water  had  not  been  obtaiued  at  such  an  elevation. 
It  therefore  remained  to  find  out,  by  surveys,  a  tunnel  combining  the  shortest  length 
with  a  competent  supply  of  water.  These  surveys  were  intrusted  to  Capt.  Wm.  Gr. 
McNeill,  of  the  Topographical  Engineers,  who  carried  them,  in  the  most  able  manner, 
into  execution. 

The  result  has  been  that  a  tunnel  from  the  mouth  of  Bowman’s  Run,  in  Will’s  Creek, 
to  the  mouth  of  Flaugherty  Creek,  in  Casselman’s  River,  was  the  shortest  which  could 
be  admitted  to  procure  at  the  same  time  the  other  requisite  as  to  the  sufficiency  of 
water.  The  length  of  this  tunnel  is  4  miles  80  yards  with  a  deep  cut  at  each  end  ; 
the  eastern  being  140  yards  long,  the  western  1,060  yards  ;  the  greatest  depth  of  each 
35  feet,  but  the  height  of  the  top  of  the  ridge  above  the  bottom  of  the  tunnel  is  not  less 
than  856  feet. 

Let  us  now  examine  the  resources  afforded  to  feed  this  summit-level.  Casselman’s 
River  is  the  only  stream  upon  which  we  can  rely  to  fulfill  this  object.  It  yielded,  on  the 
21st  of  June,  1825,  at  Plencher’s  farm,  12  miles  above  the  mouth  of  Flaugherty 


EXTENSION  OF  THE  CHESAPEAKE  AND  OHIO  CANAL.  39 


Creek,  18 cubic  feet  of  water  per  second;  on  the  7th  of  the  same  month,  it  yielded  at 
the  same  place  44  cubic  feet  per  second  ;  on  the  10th  of  July,  same  year,  it  yielded  38 
cubic  feet  per  second,  above  the  mouth  of  Flaugherty  Creek.  It  must  be  observed, 
that  in  consequence  of  a  freshet,  the  stream,  on  the  24th  of  June,  1825,  yielded  at 
Forney’s  Mill,  5  miles  above  Flaugherty  Creek,  803  cubic  feet  per  second  :  three  days 
afterwards,  it  still  delivered  103  cubic  feet.  From  all  these  results,  we  adopt  the  small¬ 
est ;  and  we  assume  18  cubic  feet  as  the  minimum  of  water  supplied  by  Casselman’s 
above  the  mouth  of  Flaugherty  Creek.  Besides  this  supply  of  running  water,  two  res¬ 
ervoirs  can  be  made  in  the  bed  of  the  stream  :  one  at  Plencher’s  farm,  containing 
4,679,029  cubic  yards ;  the  second,  below  Forney’s  Mill,  containing  17,091,490  yards;  to¬ 
gether,  about  22,000,000  yards.  The  dam  of  the  first  would  be  40  feet  high,  230  yards 
long  at  the  top  ;  the  foot  114  feet  above  the  summit-level;  the  dam  to  form  the  other 
would  be  50  feet  high,  (to  obtain  a  height  of  40  feet  of  available  water,)  aud  from  140 
to  160  yards  long  at  the  top.  The  feeder  from  the  upper  reservoir  to  the  lower  one 
would  be  about  seven  miles  ;  but  the  feeder  from  the  lower  and  large  reservoir  to  the 
summit-level  would  be  3$  miles  only.  The  area  of  the  reservoir  at  Plencher’s  farm 
will  he  1,040,600  square  yards  ;  that  of  the  great  reservoir,  2,541,000  square  yards  ; 
total,  together,  3,581,600  square  yards. 

We  shall,  in  the  sequel  of  this  report,  take  into  more  minute  consideration  these  sup¬ 
plies  of  water;  for  the  moment  we  leave  the  subject  to  present  a  comparison  between 
the  route  of  canal  and  that  by  Deep  Creek,  as  suggested  in  the  report  A,  by  and  in 
consequence  of  the  limited  facts  which  then  it  had  been  in  our  power  to  ascertain. 
The  first  will  be  designated  Casselman’s  route,  the  other  Deep  Creek  route. 

The  length ,  ascent,  and  descent  of  Casselman’s  route  are  as  follows  : 


Sections. 

Miles. 

Yards. 

Fee,t. 

From  Cumberland  bench-mark  to  the  eastern  end  of  the  sum¬ 
mit-level . 

29 

240 

Ascent  in  this  distance . . . . . . 

1,325 

Summit-level :  eastern  basin,  880  yards  ;  eastern  deep-cut, 
140  yards ;  tunnel,  4  miles  80  yards ;  western  deep-cut, 
1,060  yards  ;  western  basin,  880  yards . . . . 

5 

1,280 

1,250 

From  the  western  end  of  the  summit-level  to  the  Youghio- 
gheny,  440  yards  below  the  mouth  of  Casselman’s  River. . 
Descent  in  this  distance . 

35 

636 

Total  distance  and  lockage . 

70 

1,010 

1,961 

The  length .  ascent,  and  descent  of  the  Deep  Creek  route  are  as  follows  : 


Sections. 

Miles. 

Yards. 

Feet. 

From  Cumberland  bench-mark  to  the  mouth  of  Savage  River. 
Ascent  in  this  distance . . . . _ . . . 

30 

350 

327$ 

From  the  mouth  of  Savage  to  the  mouth  of  Crabtree  Creek- 
Ascent  in  this  distance . 

5 

383 

From  the  mouth  of  Crabtree  Creek  to  the  eastern  end  of 
the  summit-level . 

8 

1,430 

Ascent  in  this  distance . . 

1,051 

Total  ascent,  1,761$. 

Summit-level:  eastern  deep-cut,  352  yards  ;  tunnel,  1  mile 
568  yards  ;  western  deep-cut,  5  miles  480  yards  ;  western 
end,  6  miles  204$  yards . . 

12 

1, 604$ 

100 

From  the  western  end  of  the  summit-level  to  the  mouth  of 
Bear  Creek . . 

15 

Descent  in  this  distance .  . 

912 

From  the  mouth  of  Bear  Creek  to  a  point  in  the  Youghio- 
gheny  440  yards  below  the  mouth  of  Casselman’s . 

16 

1,075$ 

Descent  in  this  distance . 

164 

Total  descent,  1,076  feet. 

Total  distance  aud  lockage . . . . 

88 

1,040 

2, 837$ 

40  EXTENSION  OF  THE  CHESAPEAKE  AND  OHIO  CANAL 


Both  summits  of  these  routes,  being  compared  as  to  altitude  to  the  Cumberland 
bench-mark,  will  show  a  difference  of  level  of  436£  feet  in  favor  of  the  Casselman 
route.  This  difference  would  be  440  feet,  if  the  level  of  comparison  were  assumed  at 
the  point  of  junction  of  these  routes  into  the  Youghiogheny;  but  as  at  this  point  no 
well-fixed  bench-mark  had  been  agreed  to  between  the  two  surveying  parties,  we  rely, 
in  preference,  on  the  former  result.  This  important  result  shows  that  through  Cassel- 
man’s  the  lockage  will  be  873  feet  less  than  through  the  other  route. 

As  to  distance,  the  foregoing  statements  exhibit  a  length  of  18  miles  30  yards  in 
favor  of  the  Casselman  route  ;  which,  combined  with  a  less  amount  of  lockage,  gives 
to  this  route,  as  to  time,  a  decided  advantage  over  the  Deep  Creek  route. 

Let  us  examine  now  which  of  these  routes  will  afford  the  greatest  facility  to  the 
location  of  the  locks. 

By  assuming  8  feet  as  a  common  lift,  we  find  that,  from  Cumberland  to  the  mouth 
of  Savage,  the  average  distance  between  the  heads  of  the  two  locks  will  be  1,296  yards ; 
from  the  mouth  of  Savage  to  Crabtree  Creek,  183  yards;  from  the  mouth  of  Crabtree 
Creek  to  the  eastern  end  of  the  summit-level,  117  yards ;  aud  this  on  the  supposition 
of  a  uniform  declivity,  which  is  far  from  being  the  case,  and  more  especially  in  the 
valley  of  Crabtree  Creek,  where,  toward  the  head,  the  locks,  on  account  of  the  steep¬ 
ness  of  the  ascent,  could  not  even  find  room,  unless  their  lift  should  be  considerably 
increased.  To  this  difficulty  we  must  add  the  narrowness  of  the  valley,  which  would 
oblige  to  resort  to  very  extensive  means  to  erect,  where  necessary,  double  sets  of  locks, 
as  also  to  shelter  the  work  from  destruction,  either  by  high  freshets  or  by  heavy 
showers. 

As  to  the  western  section  of  this  route,  serious  difficulty  would  be  encountered  to 
turn  Panther’s  Point,  the  sudden  fall  being  great  and  the  side  of  the  valley  very  pre¬ 
cipitous.  It  would  become  necessary  to  descend  at  once  about  400  feet  in  a  distance 
which  could  hardly  afford  room  for  the  location  of  locks  succeeding  closely  to  each  other 
without  intermediate  ponds.  This  circumstance  would  either  necessitate  a  double  set 
of  locks  or  oblige  to  stretch,  at  considerable  expense,  the  line  of  canal  around  this 
steep  spur  which  separates  Deep  Cut  from  Hoy’s  Run. 

These  difficulties  as  to  the  location  of  locks  are  not  to  be  met  with  on  the  Cassel- 
mans  route.  In  the  valley  of  Will’s  Creek  200  yards  will  be  the  shortest  distauce 
between  the  heads  of  two  successive  locks,  and  in  that  of  Casselman’s  300  yards.  We 
must  also  remark  that,  though  the  valley  of  Will’s  Creek  becomes  gradually  narrower 
above  the  mouth  of  Little  Will’s  Creek,  yet  it  affords  room  enough  for  the  works,  and 
these  will  be  more  easily  protected  against  freshets  aud  showers  than  they  could  be  in 
the  valleys  of  Crabtree  Creek  and  Savage  River. 

The  foregoing  considerations  show  that,  in  relation  to  a  less  difficult  location  of 
canal,  the  Casselman  route  has  (abstraction  being  made,  for  the  present,  of  the  tun¬ 
nel)  a  decided  advantage  over  the  Deep  Creek  route.  But  another  important  object  is 
also  to  be  examined :  we  mean  the  supply  of  water  at  the  respective  summit-levels. 

Respecting  this  point,  it  has  been  seen  that  the  resources  yielded  by  Casselman’s, 
above  the  mouth  of  Flaugherty  Creek,  consisted  of  18  cubic  feet  per  second  of  running 
water,  and  of  two  reservoirs  of  available  stored  water,  amounting  to  about  22,000,000 
cubic  yards.  As  to  the  Deep  Creek  summit-level,  it  has  been  shown  in  report  A  (Feb¬ 
ruary,  1825)  that  Deep  Creek  delivered,  as  a  minimum,  5.12  cubic  feet  per  second, 
(page  32;)  the  Little  and  Great  Youghiogheny  together,  26.88  cubic  feet  per  second, 
(page  38;)  total  of  running  water, '32  cubic  feet  per  second. 

The  reservoirs  in  Deep  Creek  amount  to  2,214,156  cubic  yards  of  available  water, 
(page  32,)  and  those  in  the  Youghiogheny  to  23,689,007  cubic  yards  together,  (page  37  ;) 
total,  25,903,163  cubic  yards ;  we  assume  26,000,000.  These  supplies  of  water  will  com¬ 
pare  as  follows : 

Cubic  feet 
per  second. 

Deep  Creek  summit,  running  water —  32 
Casselman’s  summit,  running  water. . .  18 

Difference  in  favor  of  Deep  Creek .  14 


Cubic 

yards. 

Reservoirs .  26,000,000 

Reservoirs .  22, 000,  000 


4,  000,  000 


But  the  following  remarks  will  attenuate  this  advantage  and  induce  to  place  these  re¬ 
sources  upon  a  nearer  footing :  1.  Deep  Creek  and  both  Youghioghenies  were  gauged  in 
1824,  whereas  Casselman’s  River  was  measured  in  1825,  whose  summer  and  autumn  were 
drier  than  those  of  the  preceding  year.  2.  The  feeder  destined  to  bring  the  water  of  the 
Youghiogheny  reservoirs  on  to  the  summit-level  of  Deep  Creek  will  be  about  twelve 
miles  long,  while  the  feeder  from  the  great  reservoir  below  Forney’s  mill  will  be  but  three 
and  a  half  miles  in  length.  Therefore  the  loss  of  water  by  evaporation  and  leakage  will 
be  for  the  latter  the  fourth  of  that  for  the  former.  This  fact  deserves  so  much  more  due 
attention  that  experience  has  proved  positively  that  such  losses  were  by  far  greater 
in  feeders  than  in  portions  of  canal  of  the  same  length.  3.  The  18  cubic  feet  per  second 
allowed  to  Casselman’s  River  were  gauged  at  Plencher’s  farm,  114  feet  above  the  sum¬ 
mit-level,  aud  no  account  has  been  kept  of  the  water  delivered  by  Meadow  Run,  Tub 


EXTENSION  OF  THE  CHESAPEAKE  AND  OHIO  CANAL.  41 


Run,  Pine  Run,  tributaries  of  Casselman’s,  whose  mouths  are  below  Plencher’s  farm, 
and  higher  than  the  summit-level  ;  however,  they  have  yielded  together,  as  a  mini¬ 
mum,  on  the  last  days  of  June  and  first  days  of  July,  1825,  13.84  cubic  feet  per  second. 
4.  The  reservoirs  in  the  Youghiogheny  present  to  evaporation  an  area  of  (report  A,  page 
37)  12,452,928  square  yards,  while  those  in  Casselman’s  present  but  3,581,600  square 
yards  ;  difference  in  favor  of  the  latter,  8,871,328  square  yards,  a  difference  which 
will  cause  a  saving  of  about  6,000,000  cubic  yards  of  water,  the  yearly  fall  of  rain  being 
supposed  to  be  but  36  inches,  and  the  common  ratio  of  5  to  3  being  admitted  between 
the  yearly  evaporation  and  fall  of  rain  upon  the  surface  of  a  given  reservoir. 

The  foregoing  facts  and  computations  lead  us  to  the  conclusion  that,  with  respect 
to  water-supply,  both  routes  may  be  considered  as  on  an  equal  footing.  It  remains  now 
to  compare  the  expense  attending  the  construction  of  either  route. 

The  lockage  on  the  Deer  Creek  route  is  873  feet  more  than  on  the  Casselman  route ; 
to  which  are  to  be  added,  for  double  set  of  locks  in  Crabtree  Creek,  at  least  350  feet, 
and  at  Panther’s  Point,  at  least  200  feet ;  total,  1,423  feet,  or  178  locks,  8  feet  lift,  which 
Avould  cost  $2,136,000,  at  the  rate  of  $12,000  each. 

The  deep  cut,  from  the  western  end  of  the  tunnel  to  the  base-mark  at  Deep  Creek 
bridge,  is  5  miles  480  yards  long,  and  has,  at  its  eastern  end,  a  depth  of  40  feet, 
which  diminishes  gradually  approaching  the  base-mark.  The  amount  of  its  exca¬ 
vation  Avill  be  1,407,961  cubic  yards,  from  which,  on  subtracting  87,556  cubic  yards, 
amount  of  excavation  for  the  western  deep  cut  of  the  tunnel  at  Flaugherty,  it  re¬ 
mains  1,320,405  cubic  yards  to  the  disadvantage  of  the  Deep  Creek  route.  On  the 
reasonable  supposition  that  the  ground  will  require,  for  excavating,  two  men,  one  with 
shovel,  the  other  with  pick,  and  the  transportation  being  assumed  at  the  distance  of 
ninety  yards  for  an  ascent  of  one-twelfth,  this  excavation  will  cost  $448,937.70  at 
the  rate  of  34  cents  the  cubic  yard. 

The  Derrickman  tunnel  is  1  mile  568  yards  long,  and  has  233  feet  of  height  of  ridge 
above  its  bottom. 

The  Flaugherty  tunnel  is  4  miles  80  yards  long,  and  has  856  feet  of  height  of  ridge 
above  its  bottom. 

Difference  in  favor  of  Deep  Creek,  2  miles  1,272  yards  in  length,  and  623  feet  in  height 
of  ridge  above  its  bottom. 

The  comparative  cost  of  these  tunnels  will  be  as  follows ;  the  substance  supposed  to 
be  sandstone : 


Parts. 

Flaugherty’s. 

Derrickman’s. 

Difference. 

Shafts . 

$233,  032  95 
383,534  83 
7,704  27 
2,  495, 242  80 
159,469  30 

$17, 108  99 
119,738  12 
2,704  27 
808, 106  50 
7,010  90 

$215, 923  96 
263,796  71 
5,000  00 
1,687,136  30 
152,458  40 

Heading . 

Side-heading . 

Tunnel . 

Draining . . 

Total  cost . 

3,278,984  15 

954, 668  78 

2, 324, 315  37 

Respecting  the  dams  to  be  erected  across  the  two  Youghioghenies  to  form  the  reser¬ 
voirs  destined  to  supply  the  Deep  Creek  summit,  they  should  have  at  least  a  height 
of  50  feqt,  and  may  be  reduced  to  four  in  number.  They  would  also  measure  together 
a  length  of  1,200  yards  at  the  least.  As  to  those  across  Casselman’s,  they  may  be 
reduced  to  one  only  below  Forney’s  mill ;  its  height  will  be  50  feet,  and  its  length  at  the 
top  160  yards.  The  expense  for  this  object  will,  therefore,  be  one  and  a  half  times  as 


great  for  the  Deep  Creek  as  for  the  Casselman  route. 

The  dam  below  Forney’s  mill  will  cost .  $27, 601  60 

Therefore  the  dams  across  the  Youghioghenies  will  cost  together .  207, 012  00 


Difference  in  favor  of  the  Casselman  route .  179, 410  40 


Finally,  the  route  by  Deep  Creek  will  be  18  miles  30  yards  longer  than  by  Flaugherty 
Creek.  These  eighteen  miles,  on  the  most  favorable  supposition  of  level  cutting  and 
light  ground,  will  cost  at  the  rate  of  13.6  cents  per  cubic  yard,  digging  and  transpor¬ 
tation  included,  $96,940.80. 

Recapitulating  now  the  extra  expenses  for  each  route,  we  find  them  as  follows  : 

Deep  Creek  route. 


For  lockage .  $2, 136, 000  00 

For  the  western  deep-cut .  448,  937  70 

For  the  dams .  179,  410  40 

For  the  18  miles . . .  96,  940  80 


Total 


2,861,288  90 


42  EXTENSION  OF  THE  CHESAPEAKE  AND  OHIO  CANAL. 


Casselman’ s  route. 


For  2  miles  1,272  yards  of  tunnel .  2, 324, 315  37 

Difference  in  favor  of  this  route .  536, 973  53 


The  Casselman  route  will,  therefore,  be  less  expensive  than  the  Deep  Creek  route  ; 
its  supply  of  water  nearly  the  same ;  its  location  more  easy  ;  its  summit-level  less 
liable  to  be  encumbered  at  the  ends ;  and  on  account  of  less  lockage  and  shorter  length, 
it  will  produce  a  saving  of  time  of  twenty-two  hours.  All  these  results  combined  lead 
ns  to  give  to  the  Casselman  route  a  decided  preference. 

Before  closing  this  part  of  our  report,  we  must  exhibit  the  results  of  an  attempt 
made  to  avoid  the  rugged  portion  of  the  Youghiogheny,  where  the  stream  forces  its  way 
through  Briery  Mount  aud  Laurel  Hill.  To  this  effect,  a  route  was  tried,  which,  com¬ 
mencing  either  at  the  fork  of  Bear  Creek  or  above  the  Swallow  Falls,  in  the  Youghio- 
gheny,  runs  through  Asher’s  Glade,  a  depression  of  Briery  Mount,  thence  crosses,  by  a 
tunnel,  Laurel  Hill,  to  follow  afterward  its  western  side,  "and  debouch  into  the  Yough¬ 
iogheny,  at  the  mouth  of  Dunbar  Creek,  one  mile  above  Connellsville. 

Mention  has  been  made  of  this  route  in  the  report  A,  (February,  1825,)  page  44. 
Though  the  single  inspection  of  the  ground  had  sufficiently  shown  that  very  little 
reliance  was  to  be  placed  upon  it,  yet  it  was  essential  to  try  its  degree  of  practicability  ; 
its  surveys  and  levelings  were,  therefore,  made  at  as  long  sights  as  the  ground  would 
admit. 

The  fork  of  Bear  Creek,  that  is,  the  point  where  the  western  and  eastern  branches 
unite,  has  been  found  to  be  780.93  feet  below  the  base-mark  at  Deep  Creek  bridge,  and 
640.09  feet  below  Briery  Mount  at  Asher’s  Glade ;  therefore,  Asher’s  Glade  is  but 
131.84  feet  below  the  base-mark  at  Deep  Creek.  This  fact  alone  shows  the  absolute  im¬ 
practicability  of  obtaining  a  line  of  canal  in  this  direction.  It  shows,  also,  that  what¬ 
ever  may  be  the  line  devised  to  reach  Asher’s  Glade,  it  cannot  be  kept  lower  than 
131.84  feet  below  the  summit-level  of  Deep  Creek,  and  must  rely  on  the  Youghiogheny 
alone  for  its  supply  of  water ;  and  this  for  its  whole  length,  from  Deep  Creek  to  the 
mouth  of  Dunbar  Creek  ;  the  resources  afforded  by  the  intervening  streams  being,  in 
summer,  of  no  consequence. 

By  trying  a  line  through  the  left  side  of  the  Youghiogheny,  we  should  first  cross  this 
stream  by  an  aqueduct  of  more  than  150  feet  high,  then  foliow  the  western  side  of  the 
valley,  to  strike,  in  succession,  the  head  branches  of  Buffalo  Creek,  Big  Saudy  Creek, 
and  Little  Sandy  Creek.  The  line  would  then  cross  Laurel  Hill  by  a  tunnel  of  one 
aud  a  half  miles  in  length  and  547  feet  under  the  ridge,  and  thence  descend  to  the 
mouth  of  Dunbar  Creek,  after  having  traversed  deep  and  numerous  ravines  which  face 
on  the  western  side  of  Laurel  Hill.  It  must  be  remarked  that,  from  the  Little  Sandy 
to  the  mouth  of  Dunbar  Creek,  in  a  distance  of  about  twelve  miles,  this  route  of  canal 
would  oppose  difficulties  which  would  be  far  greater  than  those  to  be  met  with  in  the 
valley  of  the  Youghiogheny,  where  the  stream  breaks  through  Briery  Mount  and  Laurel 
Hill.  The  distance  from  Deep  Creek  to  Connellsville  by  this  route  would  be  seventy- 
one  miles,  and  six  miles  longer  than  through  the  valley  of  the  Youghiogheny  ;  and  if  we 
add  to  the  foregoing  statements  the  deficiency  of  water,  we  must  conclude  that  a  canal 
following  this  direction  is  utterly  inadmissible. 

In  conformity  to  an  order  of  the  Engineer  Department,  a  leveling  has  been  made, 
in  March,  1826,  in  relation  to  a  feeder  destined  to  transfer  the  supply  of  Deep  Creek 
summit  to  the  Casselman  summit.  Capt.  William  G.  McNeill,  of  the  Topographical 
Engineers,  to  whom  this  duty  was  assigned,  received  from  the  board  the  necessary 
instructions.  His  report  affords  the  following  results  : 

Length  of  the  feeder. 


Miles. 

Yards. 

From  the  base-mark  at  Deep  Creek  bridge  to  the  point  where  the 
feeder  meets  Casselman’ s  River . 

15 

585 

From  this  point  to  the  bridge  across  Casselman’s  River  on  the 
National  Road,  (nearly) . 

8 

880 

Thence  to  the  reservoir  at  Plencher’s  farm . 

1 

880 

Add  the  length  of  feeder  from  the  dams  in  the  Youghiogheny  to  the 
reservoir  at  Deep  Creek . 

12 

0 

Total  lp.n crth _  _ _ _ _ _ _ ..... _ _ 

37 

585 

EXTENSION  OF  THE  CHESAPEAKE  AND  OniO  CANAL.  43 


On  this  distance  there  are  four  deep  cuts  and  two  tunnels,  viz  : 


Miles. 

Yards. 

A  deep  cut  terminating  in  Buffalo  Marsh  Run _ _ . .  ...... _ 

2 

757 

Thence  a  tunnel  to  the  valley  of  Bear  Creek . . . 

5 

939 

A  deep  cut  from  the  end  of  this  tunnel . . . . . 

0 

708 

A  deep  cut  at  the  western  side  of  Negro  Mountain  _ _ _ _ 

0 

278 

A  tunnel  through  this  mountain . . . . . . . 

1 

1,640 

A  deep  cut  from  the  end  of  this  tunnel  . . . ...... 

0 

330 

Together . . . . . . 

10 

1,132 

Out  of  which  for  deep  cuts,  having  35  feet  of  greater  depth,  3  miles  313  yards; 
for  tunnels,  7  miles  819  yards. 

It  is  fortunate  that  so  long  and  so  expensive  a  feeder  can  he  dispensed  with. 

The  foregoing  facts  and  investigations,  connected  with  those  exposed  in  the  report 
A,  (February,  1825,)  lead  us  to  recommend  the  following  route  for  the  Chesapeake  and 
Ohio  Canal: 

From  Georgetown,  D.  C.,  to  Cumberland,  it  will  ascend  the  valley  of  the  Potomac, 
thence  the  valley  of  Will’s  Creek,  to  the  mouth  of  Bowman’s  Run.  It  will  then  cross 
the  summit-ridge  by  a  tunnel,  and  descend,  in  succession,  the  valleys  of  Casselman’s 
River  and  the  Youghiogheny,  to  terminate  at  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Monongahela. 

We  have  now  to  present  the  description  of  the  general  plan  of  the  work  ;  but  as  we 
think  it  more  expedient  to  progress  simultaneously  with  the  description  and  estimate, 
we  will  previously  give  an  analysis  of  the  main  prices  upon  which  the  estimate  is 
calculated,  and  point  out  the  dimensions  upon  which  the  plan  is  predicated. 

We  observe,  also,  that  the  whole  line  of  canal  will  be  subdivided  into  three  distinct 
sections,  each  of  them  forming  of  itself  a  separate  system,  viz : 

Eastern  section,  from  Georgetown  to  Cumberland. 

Middle  section,  from  Cumberland  to  the  mouth  of  Casselman’s  River. 

Western  section,  from  the  mouth  of  Casselman’s  to  Pittsburgh. 


Plan  and  estimate  of  the  canal. 

The  transverse  section  of  the  canal  is  exhibited  on  the  sheet  No.  3.  The  breadth  at 
the  bottom  is  33  feet ;  at  the  surface,  48  feet ;  the  depth  of  water,  5  feet ;  the  tow-path, 
9  feet  wide;  the  guard-banks,  5  feet  at  the  top;  the  surf-berms,  kept  on  the  level  of 
water,  2  feet  wide  each  ;  the  tow-path  and  top  of  the  guard-bank,  2  feet  above  the 
surface  of  the  canal. 

This  transverse  section  is  to  be  modified  where  local  circumstances  require  it,  and, 
more  especially,  in  the  cases  of  deep  cutting,  steep  side-cutting,  embanking,  and  also 
where  the  canal  is  supported  by  walls.  In  the  framing  of  the  plan  a  due  attention 
has  been  paid  to  these  modifications,  with  a  view  to  conciliate  the  convenience  of  the 
work  with  the  strictest  economy.  The  depth  of  5  feet  has  been  preserved  throughout 
the  line,  but  the  breadth  has  been  often  much  lessened.  As  to  the  surf-berms,  they 
are  intended  to  protect  the  slopes  from  being  washed  off,  as  also  to  lessen  the  resistance 
opposed  to  the  boat  by  affording  to  the  eddy-water  a  free  passage. 

We  must  submit,  however,  the  reasons  which  led  us  to  propose  the  above  dimen¬ 
sions. 

The  experiments  made  in  1775  by  the  French  Academicians  (D’Alembert,  Condaset, 
and  Bossat)  have  shown — 

1.  That  the  resistance  of  water  to  the  perpendicular  motion  of  a  given  plane 
may  be  regarded  as  proportional  to  the  square  of  the  velocity. 

2.  That,  the  velocity  being  the  same,  the  resistance  of  water  may  be  considered  as 
proportional  to  the  area  of  the  plane. 

3.  That  these  results  obtained  only  in  the  case  of  an  indefinite  expanse  of  water. 

4.  That  in  narrow  canals  the  resistance  increases  in  a  more  rapid  ratio  than  the 
square  of  the  velocity. 

To  attenuate  as  much  as  practicable  this  inconvenience,  researches  have  been  made  to 
ascertain  what  should  be  the  ratio  between  the  transverse  section  of  the  canal  and  the 
transverse  section  of  the  boat  in  order  that  the  boat  might  move  through  such  a  canal 
as  through  an  indefinite  expanse  of  water. 

Experiments  made  on  the  subject  by  the  celebrated  Chevalier  Dubuat  have  shown 


44  EXTENSION  OF  THE  CHESAPEAKE  AND  OHIO  CANAL. 


that  to  attain  this  result  the  cross-section  of  the  canal  ought  to  he,  with  moderate 
velocities,  6.46  times  the  cross-section  of  the  boat,  and  the  water-line  4£  times  the 
breadth  of  the  boat. 

Adopting,  to  preserve  uniformity,  13£  feet  for  the  breadth  of  the  boats  used  on  the 
Chesapeake  and  Ohio  Canal,  (which  is  the  breadth  of  the  Erie  Canal  and  of  the  Ohio 
Canal  boats,)  if  we  suppose  the  draught  to  be  3  feet,  the  prow  to  be  rectangular,  and 
the  sides  and  bottom  of  the  boat  to  conform  to  it,  the  cross-section  of  the  boat  will  be 
40.5  square  feet.  Taking,  now,  this  area  6.46  times,  we  find  261£  square  feet  for  the 
cross-section  of  the  canal,  through  which  the  boat  would  not  meet  with  a  greater  re¬ 
sistance  than  through  an  indefinite  expanse  of  water.  The  water-line  should  be  60£ 
feet ;  that  is,  four  times  and  a  half  the  breadth  of  the  boat. 

Were  not  expense  to  be  taken  into  consideration,  these  dimensions  might  be  recom¬ 
mended,  but  fitness  of  the  work  and  strict  economy  must  be  reconciled  as  much  as 
practicable,  and  it  is  in  such  a  view  that  smaller  dimensions  are  to  be  fixed  upon. 

It  is  to  be  remarked  that  the  distance  from  Georgetown  to  Pittsburgh  in  following  the 
line  of  the  canal  is  three  hundred  and  forty-one  and  a  half  miles,  which,  at  the  rate  of 
two  and  a  half  miles  per  hour,  will  be  traveled  in  about  136  hours.  The  ascent  and  de¬ 
scent,  amounting  together  to  3,158  feet,  will  require,  at  the  rate  of  one  minute  per  foot, 
about  52  hours;  distance  in  time  from  Georgetown  to  Pittsburgh,  188  hours.  Though  a 
number  of  canals,  selected  among  those  executed  to  this  day,  might  afford,  together,  the 
distance  and  lockage  found  for  the  Chesapeake  and  Ohio  Canal,  yet  there  is  not, 
within  our  knowledge,  any  line  of  the  same  extent  requiring  even  1,800  feet  of  ascent 
and  descent  taken  together.  The  Erie  Canal  requires  688  feet  for  three  hundred  and 
sixty-two  miles  ;  the  line  from  Liverpool  to  London,  1,451£  feet  for  two  hundred  and 
sixty-four  miles ;  the  canal  from  the  Rhone  to  the  Rhine,  connecting  Lyons  with  Stras¬ 
bourg,  has  about  1,458  feet  of  lockage  for  a  length  of  two  hundred  miles.  The  proposed 
canal  has,  therefore,  as  to  time,  a  decided  inferiority  when  compared  to  a  canal  of  the 
same  length,  but  having  a  less  amount  of  lockage  ;  and  it  becomes,  in  the  present  case, 
indispensable  to  remedy  this  inconvenience.  The  means  we  propose  consist  in  the  in¬ 
crease  of  the  dimensions  of  the  cross-section  of  the  canal,  with  a  view  io  compensate 
by  a  greater  weight  (transported  without  additional  power)  for  the  virtual  increase  of 
distance  caused  by  so  great  an  amount  of  lockage. 

We  have  shown  that  this  section  ought  to  be  261  square  feet,  with  a  water-line  of  60 
feet,  to  procure  a  boat  13  feet  6  inches  in  breadth  the  advantage  of  moving  on  the  canal 
as  on  an  indefinite  extent  of  water.  After  many  trials  and  minute  calculations,  we 
have  concluded  to  adopt  for  the  contemplated  canal  the  four-fifths  of  the  foregoing  re¬ 
sults,  viz,  for  the  cross-section  208  square  feet,  and  for  the  water-line  48  feet;  and 
from  these  data  we  have  formed,  with  a  depth  of  5  feet,  the  general  transverse  profile 
of  the  canal,  as  exhibited  on  the  sheet  No.  3. 

Let  us  now  compare  this  profile  to  one  having  40  feet  at  the  surface,  28  feet  at  bot¬ 
tom,  and  4  feet  in  depth  ;  the  boat  used  being  the  same  for  both,  and  having  13£  feet 
in  breadth,  and  3  feet  in  draught.  We  find  by  calculations  that,  the  velocity  remaining 
the  same,  the  resistance  to  the  boat  moving  in  the  48-foot  canal  is  to  the  resistance  to 
the  same  boat  moving  in  the  40-foot  canal  as  1.21  to  1.58,  or  as  100  to  130.  Therefore, 
at  the  same  rate  of  velocity,  100  horses  will,  on  the  48-foot  canal,  perform  the  same 
work  as  130  horses  on  the  40-foot  canal;  and  with  the  same  to  wing-power  the  weight 
transported  on  the  48-foot  canal,  will  be  to  the  weight  transported  on  the  40-foot  canal 
as  130  to  100. 

But  the  depth  of  the  48-foot  canal  being  1  foot  greater  than  the  depth  of  the  other, 
let  us  examine  what  will  be  the  comparative  resistance  of  the  boat  being  immersed  4 
feet  into  the  48-foot  canal,  and  but  3  feet  in  the  other.  We  find  in  this  case  the  ratio 
to  be  1.47  to  1.58,  or  100  to  107,  and  we  infer  from  it  that,  with  a  gain  of  about  7  per 
cent,  of  towing-power,  the  weight  transported  on  the  48-foot  canal  will  be  one-third 
greater  than  the  weight  transported  during  the  same  time  on  the  40-foot  canal. 

The  foregoing  considerations  show  that  in  determining  the  transverse  section  of  a 
canal  of  great  length,  and  with  a  dividing  summit-level,  the  amount  of  lockage  must 
have  a  due  influence  upon  the  breadth  and  depth  of  the  water-section.  And,  indeed, 
taking  into  view  the  great  distance  and  considerable  lockage  belonging  to  the  present 
case,  a  cross-section  larger  than  that  recommended  might  have  been  suggested  had 
not  a  regard  to  economy  and  to  a  competent  supply  of  water  during  the  dry  season 
forbidden  it. 

However,  the  transverse  section,  as  just  proposed,  may  be  deemed  sufficient  to  fulfill 
in  a  satisfactory  manner  the  main  requisite  for  which  it  has  been  intended.  And  in 
order  to  remove  all  doubt,  let  us  compare  as  to  amount  of  transportation  the  contem¬ 
plated  Chesapeake  and  Ohio  Canal  with  another  of  the  same  length,  but  whose  lock¬ 
age  would  be  600  feet  only,  with  a  transverse  section  of  40  feet  at  the  surface  and  4 
feet  in  depth. 

The  rate  of  traveling  being  supposed  for  both  two  and  one-half  miles  per  hour,  and 
one  minute  allowed  for  each  foot  of  lockage,  60  feet  will  be,  as  to  time,  equivalent  to 
two  and  one-half  miles,  and  these  canals  will  then  compare  as  follows: 


EXTENSION  OF  THE  CHESAPEAKE  AND  OHIO  CANAL.  45 


The  Chesapeake  and  Ohio  Canal  having  3,158  feet  of  lockage  in  a  distance  of  three 
hundred  and  forty-one  and  one-half  miles,  is  equivalent,  as  to  time,  to  a  single  level 
canal  of  four  hundred  and  seventy-three  miles,  which  would  require  189  hours  to  be 
traveled  from  one  end  to  the  other. 

The  40-feet  canal  having  600  feetfof  lockage  in  a  distance  of  three  hundred  and  forty- 
one  and  a  half  miles,  is  equivalent  as  to  time  to  a  single  level  canal  of  three  hundred  and 
sixty-seven  miles,  and  which  would  be  traveled  in  146  hours  from  one  end  to  the  other. 
But  it  has  been  shown  that  on  the  first  canal  the  amount  of  transportation  being  expressed 
by  130,  it  will  be  100  on  the  40-feet  canal— the  velocity  and  towing  power  remaining 
the  same  in  both  cases.  Comparing,  now,  this  ratio  of  1 30  to  100  with  that  of  the 
time  employed  to  travel  respectively  each  canal,  viz,  189  hours  to  J46,  it  is  found  that 
these  ratios  are  equal.  Therefore,  on  either  of  these  canals,  and  notwithstanding  a 
difference  of  2,558  feet  lockage,  an  equal  weight  will  be  transported  during  the  same 
time,  and  with  an  equal  towing  power — a  result  entirely  due  to  a  larger  transverse 
section  having  been  assigned  to  the  canal  whose  lockage  is  greater. 

With  a  view  to  augment  still  more  the  amount  of  transportation  without  increasing 
the  expense  attending  it,  the  boat  might  have  received  a  length  of  at  least  eight  times 
its  breadth;  but  it  would  have  required  a  length  of  lock  of  118  feet,  (between  the 
hollow  quoins,)  which,  on  account  of  the  great  number  of  locks,  would  have  caused 
too  great  an  expense.  The  necessity  of  conciliating  economy  with  the  object  to  be 
expected  from  the  work  has,  therefore,  obliged  us  to  limit  the  length  of  the  boat  to 
seven  times  its  breadth,  13£  feet — it  is  to  say,  to  94  feet  about;  this  length  varying, 
however,  from  90  to  94  feet,  according  to  the  mode  of  constructing  the  boat.  With  a 
draught  of  3  feet,  such  a  boat,  if  rectangular,  would  displace  about  100  tons  weight 
of  water,  or,  on  accouut  of  deviation  from  this  form,  about  90  tons  only,  it  will  carry  a 
burden  of  60  tons.  Respecting  the  locks  destined  to  admit  this  boat,  they  must  have 
at  least  102  feet  between  the  hollow  quoins,  and  16  feet  breadth  in  the  clear.  In  the 
estimate,  they  are  nearly  all  supposed  to  be  of  8  feet  lift,  though  in  the  framing  of  a 
final  plan  they  should  vary  according  to  considerations  not  immediately  connected 
with  the  object  of  the  present  report. 

The.sheet  No.  3  exhibits  the  plan  and  sections  of  the  lock  upon  which  has  been  made 
the  estimate  of  this  article  of  expense.  The  main  walls  are  built  of  common  range- 
work  masonry,  (No.  18 ;)  their  facing  only  is  laid  with  water-lime  cement.  Hewn  stone 
has  been  used  exclusively  for  the  hollow  quoins,  mitre-sills,  abutments,  and  recesses 
of  gates.  The  blocks  do  not  exceed  9  cubic  feet,  (Nos.  27  and  28.)  The  bottom  of  the 
chamber  consists  chiefly  of  a  reversed  arch,  built  of  brick,  with  water-lirne  cement. 

The  estimate  amounts  to  $13,069.80.  But  we  must  take  into  consideration  that  a 
number  of  locks  will  have  their  foundation  upon  solid  rock,  and  will  therefore  require 
less  masonry ;  and  also  that  owing  to  the  necessary  declination,  which,  in  the  final 
plan,  the  bottom  of  the  canal  will  receive,  the  amount  of  lockage  will  be  less  than  it  is 
in  this  general  plan.  Under  these  impressions,  $12,000  has  been  deemed  a  fair  average 
cost  of  a  lock  on  the  whole  line  of  canal. 

Respecting  the  aqueducts,  they  are  to  be  built  of  masonry,  and  their  lengths  calcu¬ 
lated  to  afford  a  free  passage  to  the  streams  at  the  time  of  freshets;  they  are  gener¬ 
ally  to  be  connected  with  the  sides  of  the  valley  by  means  of  embankments  carefully 
made. 

We  now  pass  to  the  description  of  the  canal. 

EASTERN  SECTION. 

[Omitted.] 

MIDDLE  SECTION. 

This  section  includes  the  summit-level  and  extends  from  Cumberland  (or  rather  from 
the  western  end  of  the  eastern  section)  to  the  mouth  of  Casselman’s  River,  in  the 
Youghiogheny.  Its  length  is  70  miles  1,010  yards ;  but  a  lockage  of  1961  feet  and  a  tun¬ 
nel  of  4  miles  80  yards  long,  under  a  ridge  of  856  feet  elevation,  wTill  make  this  section 
extraordinarily  expensive. 

This  section  will,  besides,  require  the  erection  of  dams  across  the  valleys  through 
which  it  passes,  and  more  especially  in  the  bed  of  Will’s  Creek.  This  stream,  in  fact, 
affords,  in  summer  and  fall,  a  too  small  supply  of  water  toward  its  sources  to  rely 
altogether  upon  it ;  the  summit-level  must  feed,  therefore,  the  upper  portions,  w'hile 
frequent  dams  erected  across  the  valley  will  make  available  the  water  delivered  by 
the  stream. 

The  valleys  of  Will’s  Creek  and  Casselman’s  River  being  formed  of  a  succession  of 
fiats  and  bluffs,  the  canal  will  often  require  to  be  supported  by  walls  whose  height 
should  place  the  work  out  of  reach  of  the  freshets.  These  freshets  rise  in  Will’s  Creek 
from  7  to  10  feet,  and  from  12  to  16  feet  in  Casselman’s. 

In  planning  this  section,  care  lias  been  taken  to  avoid,  as  much  as  practicable,  ex 
pensive  aqueducts,  and  none  is  to  be  erected  over  Casselman’s  River.  The  canal  will 
follow,  constantly,  the  right  side  of  the  valley,  whose  southern  exposure  will  procure 


46  EXTENSION  OF  THE  CHESAPEAKE  AND  OHIO  CANAL. 


an  earlier  navigation  in  spring  and  later  in  autumn.  Respecting  Will’s  Creels,  its  val¬ 
ley  is  so  narrow  at  some  places  and  the  height  of  freshets  so  inconsiderable,  that  four 
crossings  have  been  made  to  take  advantage  of  the  most  favorable  ground,  aud  thus 
lessen  the  expense.  It  must  be  observed  that  these  two  streams  are  not  navigable, 
aud  will,  therefore,  require  no  peculiar  work  to  accommodate  their  trade  and  naviga¬ 
tion. 

The  execution  of  the  tunnel  will  be  not  only  very  expensive,  but  also  long  and  diffi¬ 
cult  ;  all  the  geological  appearances  lead  to  the  conclusion  that  the  excavation  will 
have  to  be  made  through  sandstone  rock.  The  estimate  has  been  calculated  for  three 
different  kinds  of  ground ;  hard  clay,  sandstone,  granite,  and  unstratified  limestone.  The 
hypothesis  of  sandstone  being  admitted  here,  the  estimate  relating  to  this  kind  of 
ground  accompanies  the  present  report.  (See  sheet  No.  5.)  The  tunnel  will  require  to 
be  lined  with  masonry,  experience  having  shown  that  this  precaution  is  indispensable. 
Brick  masonry  has  been  adopted  in  the  estimate  as  the  most  convenient  to  fulfill  the 
object.  The  dimensions  of  the  interior  of  the  tunnel  are,  22  feet  in  width,  7  feet  under 
the  water-line,  and  16|  feet  above  the  same  line,  which  form  23|  feet  from  the  bottom 
to  the  top  of  the  arch.  The  tow-path  is  4  feet  wide.  The  shafts  destined  to  facilitate 
the  excavation,  aud  to  air  the  tunnel,  are  proposed  to  be  sunk  180  yards  apart  from 
center  to  center.  Their  diameter  will  be  6  feet  within  the  lining  of  brick  masonry.  A 
gallery,  lateral  and  parallel  to  the  tunnel,  corresponds  with  the  shafts.  This  gallery, 
or  heading,  is  destined  to  drain  the  tunnel  duriug  its  excavation  ;  its  width  is  3  feet, 
and  its  height  6|  feet ;  it  is  lined  with  brick  masonry,  and  communicates  with  the  tun¬ 
nel  by  means  of  arcades  or  side  headings,  which  correspond  to  the  points  at  which  the 
shafts  terminate  into  the  heading.  The  sheet  No.  4,  herewith  annexed,  exhibits  all 
the  draughts  relating  to  this  tunnel,  aud  to  the  deep  cuts  at  its  ends. 

The  deep  cut  at  the  western  end  is  1,060  yards  long;  that  at  the  eastern  140  yards ; 
each  opens  into  a  basin  having  880  yards  in  length  and  64  yards  in  width.  The  tunnel, 
the  deep  cuts,  and  the  basins  form  together  the  summit-level,  whose  length  will  be  5 
miles  1,280  yards;  a  lock  is  located  at  each  end,  and  where  each  basin  terminates. 

Let  us  now  examine  the  resources  upon  which  we  can  rely  to  supply  with  water 
this  summit-level,  and  the  portions  of  canal  contiguous  to  it.  The  stream  upon  which 
we  have  chiefly  to  depend  is  Casselmau’s;  it  yielded  in  1825  and  1826  the  following 
results : 

Cubic  ft. 


June  21, 1825,  at  Pleacher’s  farm,  per  second .  18 

July  10,  1825,  below  Flaugherty’s  Creek .  38 

July  12, 1826,  at  its  mouth .  46 

March  12, 1826,  at  Pleacher’s  farm .  98 

March  27, 1826,  below  Flaugherty’s  Creek .  715 

March  21, 1826,  at  Forney’s  mill-dam .  536 


We  have  admitted,  in  the  former  part  of  the  present  report,  18  cubic  feet  per  second 
as  the  minimum  of  water  yielded  by  Casselman’s  River;  and  we  have  also  pointed  out 
two  reservoirs,  one  at  Pleacher’s  Farm  and  the  other  at  Forney’s  Mill,  containing  to¬ 
gether  22,000,000  cubic  yards.  These  are  the  resources  afforded  by  the  localities  to 
feed  the  summit-level  and  supply  its  lockage,  and  also  portions  of  canal  contiguous  to 
the  summit-level. 

The  reservoirs  are  to  be  filled  in  winter,  during  the  interruption  of  the  navigation — 
an  interruption  which,  considering  the  elevation  of  the  summit-level  above  the  ocean, 
1,903  (?)  feet,  cannot  be  supposed  less  than  four  months,  viz :  from  the  1st  of  Decem¬ 
ber  to  the  1st  of  April.  By  adopting  98  cubic  feet  per  second  as  the  mean-supply 
afforded  in  winter  by  Casselman’s  River,  at  Pleacher’s  farm,  we  find  that  in  less  than 
seventy-two  days  both  reservoirs  would  be  filled  up. 

However,  to  remove  any  doubt  on  the  subject,  we  will  take  an  area  of  thirty-six 
square  miles  of  ground,  whose  rain-water  supplies  Casselman’s  River,  and  make  a  com¬ 
putation  of  what  such  an  area  would  yield ;  we  will  suppose  it  to  be  formed  of  two 
strips  of  land,  each  of  eighteen  miles  long  and  one  mile  wide,  aud  stretching  along  the 
banks  of  Casselman’s  River  above  Forney’s  mill. 

From  observations  made,  from  1817  to  1824,  inclusively,  by  Mr.  Lewis  Brantz,  in  the 
vicinity  of  Baltimore,  we  have  the  following  results :  Iu  the  course  of  these  eight 
years  there  fell,  on  a  mean  average  yearly,  39.89  inches  of  rain  ;  in  1822,  there  fell  the 
smallest  quantity,  which  was  29.2*0  inches;  the  greatest  quantity  fell  in  1817;  it 
amounted  to  48.55  inches. 

Adopting  these  data  for  the  country  round  the  summit-level,  and  using  the  results 
of  the  year  1822,  we  find  that  the.  rain  which  fell  in  the  three  first  and  three  last 
months  of  said  year  amounted  to  16.70  inches,  and  for  the  six  other  months  to  12£  inches. 

Cubic  yards. 

.  0.463 

.  0.347 

.  0.810 


These  16.70  inches  are  equivalent  per  square-yard  surface  to . 

The  12^  inches  are  equivalent  per  square-yard  surface  to . 

The  whole  or  29.20  inches  are  equivalent  per  square-yard  surface  to 


EXTENSION  OF  THE  CHESAPEAKE  AND  OHIO  CANAL.  47 


Applying  now  these  last  results  to  the  area  of  thirty-six  square  miles  above  men¬ 
tioned,  we  find  that  they  will  receive  at  the  minimum  : 


Cubic  yards. 

During  the  fall  and  winter .  51,630,796.80 

During  the  spring  and  summer .  38,  695,  219.  20 

The  whole  year  round . .  90,  326,  016.  00 


From  which  it  will  be  seen,  first,  that  the  two-thirds  of  the  first  quantity,  or 
34,420,531^-  cubic  yards,  would  be  about  one-third  more  than  will  be  necessary  to  fill 
up  the  reservoirs  in  four  months;  second,  that  44  cubic  feet  per  second  would  make 
up,  during  six  months,  the  two-thirds  of  the  second  quantity,  and  might,  therefore,  bo 
deemed  the  mean-discharge,  per  second,  of  Casselman’s  River  during  spring  and  sum¬ 
mer,  instead  of  18  cubic  feet  assumed  in  the  present  report;  third,  that  this  surplus 
will  partly  replenish  the  reservoirs  during  the  time  of  navigation. 

If  to  these  considerations  we  add  that,  instead  of  thirty-six  square  miles,  we  might 
easily  have  taken  double,  we  may  conclude  that,  the  filtrations  and  evaporations  of 
rain-water  being  taken  into  the  most  liberal  account,  the  portion  of  Casselman’s 
Valley  above  Forney’s  mill  will  convey  to  the  bed  of  this  river  more  water  than  we 
have  admitted  ;  we  believe,  therefore,  that  the  minimum  supply  of  the  summit-level 
will  consist  of,  first,  a  reservoir  of  22,000,000  cubic  yards;  second,  eighteen  cubic  feet 
per  second  of  running  water.  And,  since  the  navigation  is  supposed  to  be  opened 
during  eight  months,  the  monthly  resources  will  be 2,750,000  cubic  yards  from  the  res¬ 
ervoirs,  1,728,000  cubic  yards  from  the  river  itself;  total  4,478,000  cubic  yards  per 
month.  Let  us  see  now  how  will  be  regulated  the  use  of  this  monthly  supply.  Taking 
into  consideration  the  unavoidable  delays  at  the  end  of  the  summit-level,  the  impedi¬ 
ments  at  the  debouches  of  the  tunnel  and  through  the  deep  cuts,  and,  finally,  the 
greater  resistance  the  boats  will  meet  through  the  tunnel,  we  cannot  suppose  less  than 
3  hours  and  25  minutes  for  a  boat  to  pass  from  one  end  of  the  summit-level  to  the  other, 
which  comes  to  one  and  two-thirds  miles  per  hour.  But  the  passage  is  to  be  effected 
in  fleets  or  trains,  on  account  of  economy  both  of  time  and  water;  and  we  adopt  thirty 
boats  for  each  train,  a  number  which  in  the  present  case  seems  to  us  favorable  to  com¬ 
bine  the  time  of  passage  with  the  supply  of  water  duiing  the  same  time.  These  thirty 
boats,  moving  in  train,  will  meet  with  more  delay  than  would  a  single  boat,  and 
instead  of  3  hours  and  25  minutes,  as  before  stated,  we  assign  4  hours  to  the  train  to 
pass  from  one  end  to  the  other  of  the  summit-level. 

We  suppose,  also,  that  a  fleet  of  thirty  boats,  descending  the  eastern  lock  of  the  sum¬ 
mit-level,  and  (through  the  same  lock)  passing  an  ascending  fleet  of  the  same  number  of 
boats,  will  effectuate  this  cross  passage  in  eight  hours,  under  the  plausible  supposition 
that  16  minutes  will  be  required  for  the  cross  passage  of  a  boat  ascending  and  one  de¬ 
scending.  A  similar  cross  passage  is  supposed  to  take  place  at  the  western  lock  of  the 
summit-level,  and  at  the  same  time. 

Now,  a  first  fleet  leaving  the  eastern  lock  will  arrive  four  hours  afterward  at  the  west¬ 
ern  lock,  and  meet  there  a  fleet  coming  from  the  west,  and  rea'1’,,  tv  proceed  eastward. 
This  second  fleet  will  reach  in  four  hours  the  eastern  lock,  and  find  there  a  third  lie*.' 
having  ascended  the  lock  during  the  passage  of  the  first  and  second  fleets.  This  third 
fleet  will  proceed  westward,  and  arrive  four  hours  after  at  the  western  lock,  where  it 
will  find  a  fourth  fleet,  having  ascended  the  lock  during  the  passage  of  the  second  and 
third  fleets.  Lastly,  this  fourth  fleet  will  move  eastward  and  reach  in  four  hours  the 
eastern  lock,  meeting  there  with  a  fleet  from  the  east,  having  ascended  the  eastern  lock 
during  the  passage  of  the  third  and  fourth  fleet. 

The  passages  of  these  four  fleets  forming  together  120  boats,  and  requiring  four  hours 
each,  may  be  considered,  as  will  be  seen  just  now,  the  maximum  of  trade  which  the 
supply  of  water  can  admit.  At  this  rate  of  120  boats  a  day,  3,600  might  pass  per  month, 
and  28,800  during  the  eight  months  of  open  navigation. 

Let  us  now  compute  the  expanse  of  water  which  the  lockage  of  these  boats  will  re¬ 
quire.  Admitting,  as  in  fact  it  will  be  the  case,  that,  at  each  lock,  one  ascending  boat 
alternates  with  a  descending  one,  each  boat  will  draw,  from  the  summit-level,  but  one 
lockful,  viz,  half  a  lockful  at  each  end.  However,  in  order  to  provide  for  contingencies 
and  unforeseen  cases,  we  adopt  one  lockful  and  a  half  for  the  passage  of  each  boat 
through  the  summit-level.  One  lockful  and  a  half  containing  623  cubic  yards,  the 
3,600  boats  passing  during  one  month  will  require  2,242,800  cubic  yards  of  water,  which 
being  taken  out  of  the  monthly  supply,  amounting  to  4,478,000  cubic  yards,  will  leave 
2,235,200  cubic  yards.  This  last  quantity  is  destined  to  feed  the  canal  itself,  exclusive 
of  lockage,  on  a  length  of  18  miles  and  at  a  rate  of  120,000  cubic  yards  per  mile  and 
per  month,  absorption,  filtration,  and  evaporation  being  taken  into  account.  These 
eighteen  miles  comprehend  the  summit-level,  a  portion  of  six  miles  in  Will  s  Creek,  and 
a  similar  of  also  six  miles  in  Casselman’s  Valley.  The  remainder  of  the  canal  down 
Will’s  Creek  will  be  supplied  by  this  stream,  while  Casselman’s  River  will  feed  the  re¬ 
mainder  of  the  canal  descending  its  valley. 


48  EXTENSION  OF  THE  CHESAPEAKE  AND  OHIO  CANAL. 


The  estimated  cost  of  the  summit-level,  just  described,  is  as  follows : 


The  tunnel — 

Shafts . $233,032  95 

Heading .  383,  534  83 

Side-heading .  7,704  27 

Tunnel .  2,  495,  242  80 

Draining .  159,469  30 


Total  cost  of  tunnel .  3, 278, 984  15 

The  eastern  basin . .  26,741  14 

The  eastern  deep-cut .  18, 733  00 

The  western  deep-cut .  141,  840  72 

The  western  basin .  5,668  00 


Total  estimate  of  the  summit-level .  3, 471, 967  01 


The  details  relating  to  the  estimate  of  the  tunnel  are  exhibited  in  the  sheet  No.  5,  an¬ 
nexed  to  this  report.  As  to  the  basins  and  deep  cuts,  their  detailed  estimates  have  been 
carried  into  those  belonging  to  the  eastern  and  western  portions  of  this  middle  section. 
We  shall  now  present  successively  the  description  of  these  portions :  the  eastern,  com¬ 
mencing  at  the  eastern  end  of  the  summit-level  and  terminating  below  Cumberland  ; 
the  western,  beginning  at  the  western  end  of  the  summit-level,  and  debouching  into 
the  Youghiogheny  below  the  mouth  of  Casselman’s  River. 

EASTERN  PORTION. 

Subdivision  1. — From  the  eastern  end  of  the  summit-level  to  the  mouth  of  Little  Will's 
Creek : 

Distance,  16  miles  460 yards;  descent,  1,016  feet;  127  locks. 

The  canal  follows  for  8£  miles  the  left  side  of  the  valley  of  Will’s  Creek ;  it  then 
crosses  the  stream  to  descend  for  two  miles  along  the  right  bank  ;  crossing  again  the 
creek  it  remains  on  the  left  side  as  far  down  as  the  fourteenth  mile;  it  then  crosses 
a  third  time,  to  follow  the  right  side  of  the  valley,  as  far  down  as  opposite  the 
mouth  of  Little  Will’s  Creek. 

The  considerable  descent  in  so  short  a  distance,  the  contracted  breadth  of  the  val¬ 
ley,  the  steepness  of  its  sides,  the  great  quantity  of  excavation  in  rocky  ground,  will 
concur  together  to  render  this  subdivision  very  expensive  in  proportion  to  its  extent. 

The  distance  between  the  heads  of  two  consecutive  locks  will  not  be  less  than  180 
yards.  The  rirst  six  miles  will  be  fed,  as  stated  before,  by  the  summit-level ;  the  re¬ 
mainder  will  be  supplied  by  Will’s  Creek.  To  that  effect  dams,  erected  at  suitable 
places,  will  afford  the  means  of  taking  into  the  canal  not  only  the  waters  of  the  creek, 
but  also  tL  jcsu  ot  ns  tributaries. 

The  estimate  of  this  subdivision  amounts  to  (the  eastern  basin  and  deep  cut  ex¬ 
cluded)  $2,300,859.28. 

Subdivision  2. — From  the  mouth  of  Little  Will’s  Creek  to  the  western  end  of  the  east¬ 
ern  section,  below  Cumberland : 

Distance,  13£  miles  ;  descent,  309  feet ;  39  locks.  From  the  summit-level,  29  miles 
240  yards  ;  descent,  1,325  feet ;  166  locks. 

At  the  commencement  of  this  subdivision,  the  line  of  canal  takes  a  sudden  change 
of  direction  from  nearly  ea3t  and  west  to  almost  north  and  south.  The  valley  also 
changes  its  character,  becoming  broader,  more  level,  and  less  rapid  in  its  descent. 

The  canal  continues  for  ten  and  one-half  miles  on  the  right  bank  of  the  stream,  pass¬ 
ing  alternately  along  steep  and  rocky  hill-sides,  and  through  meadow-land,  but  even 
in  the  latter  requiring  a  large  quantity  of  excavation  of  rock.  It  then  passes  over  to 
the  left  bank,  and  continues  for  more  than  half  a  mile  on  favorable  ground,  when  it 
enters  the  defile  formed  by  the  breaking  of  Will’s  Creek  through  the  mountain  of  the 
same  name. 

The  difficulties  of  this  passage  are  great,  and  continue  for  more  than  a  mile.  The 
ground  then  becomes  favorable,  permitting  the  canal  to  pass  at  the  outskirts  of  Cum¬ 
berland,  to  join  with  the  eastern  section. 

Provision  is  made  for  taking  in  a  supply  of  water  immediately  below  the  junction 
of  Great  and  Little  Will’s  Creeks,  and  also  at  several  points  below.  Adjoining  Cum¬ 
berland,  the  canal  will  receive  a  feeder  from  the  Potomac,  for  a  supply  below,  and 
more  especially  to  complete  what  is  necessary  in  relation  to  the  first  subdivision  of  the 
eastern  section. 

This  feeder  is  proposed  to  be  made  navigable,  in  order  to  accommodate  the  trade  of 
the  Potomac  above  Cumberland.  Its  length  is  one  mile ;  its  width,  at  the  water¬ 
line,  30  feet ;  its  depth,  4  feet.  At  its  point  of  departure  from  the  Potomac  a  basin 

formed  in  the  bed  of  the  river,  by  means  of  a  dam  erected  at  the  first  ledge  above 


EXTENSION  OF  THE  .CHESAPEAKE  AND  OHIO  CANAL.  49 


Cumberland.  This  basin,  comprehending  an  extent  of  about  eight  miles,  will  afford  a 
constant  supply  of  water,  and  also  accommodate  the  coal  trade  of  the  Potomac.  The 
levees  around  the  basin,  the  dam,  the  guard-lock  of  the  feeder,  the  feeder  and  its  aque¬ 
duct  over  Will’s  Creek,  are  included  in  the  estimate  of  this  subdivision. 

A  basin  is  contemplated  at  Cumberland,  and  adapted  to  the  probable  wants  of  the 
place  ;  it  will  be  provided  with  locks  to  communicate  with  the  Potomac. 

The  estimate  of  this  subdivision  amounts  to  $1,555,764.32.  The  estimate  of  the  east¬ 
ern  portion  amounts  to  $3,856,623.60. 

WESTERN  PORTION. 

Subdivision  1. — From  the  western  end  of  the  summit-level  to  the  mouth  of  Middle 
Fork  Creek : 

Distance,  16£  miles ;  descent,  216  feet;  27  locks. 

This  subdivision  commences  at  the  western  end  of  the  basin  formed  in  the  valley  of 
Flauglierty’s  Creek,  and  into  which  is  introduced  the  feeder  from  the  reservoirs  in  the 
valley  of  Casselman’s.  Having  already  stated  all  the  details  relating  to  this  append¬ 
age  of  the  summit-level,  we  find  ourselves  dispensed  from  entering  into  further  explan¬ 
ation  upon  the  subj  ect. 

The  canal  for  this  subdivision  is  on  the  right  bank  of  Casselman’s  River.  On  this 
distance,  although  no  very  formidable  difficulties  are  presented,  yet  the  amount  of 
excavation  of  rock,  as  also  the  great  quantity  of  walling,  will  render  the  work  very 
expensive.  The  first  six  miles  are  to  be  fed  by  the  summit-level,  as  it  has  been  stated ; 
as  to  the  remainder,  provision  has  been  made,  at  several  places,  for  taking  from  Cas¬ 
selman’s  River  additional  supplies. 

It  is  to  be  observed  that  this  upper  subdivision  of  Casselman’s  River  has  a  descent 
less  rapid  than  that  of  the  lower;  the  reverse  takes  place  in  the  valley  of  Will’s 
Creek. 

The  estimate  of  this  subdivision  amounts  to  (the  western  basin  and  deep  cut  ex¬ 
cluded)  $1,240,215.32. 

Subdivision  2. — From  the  mouth  of  Middle  Fork  Creek  to  the  mouth  of  Casselman’s 
River : 

Distance,  19  miles  1,030  yards ;  descent,  420  feet ;  53  locks.  From  the  western  end 
of  the  summit-level,  35  miles  1,250  yards;  descent,  636  feet ;  80  locks. 

This  subdivision  keeps  on  the  right  bank  of  Casselman’s  River,  as  far  down  as  440 
yards  below  its  mouth.  The  nature  of  the  ground  through  which  it  passes  resembles 
that  of  the  subdivision  above,  except  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Youghiogheny,  when  it 
becomes  much  more  favorable,  offering  more  earth  and  less  rock  for  excavation  than 
above.  Occasional  resorts  to  the  stream  will  secure  to  the  canal  a  competent  supply 
of  water.  And  at  the  end  of  this  subdivision,  two  feeders,  one  from  Casselman’s 
River  and  the  other  from  Laurel  Hill  Run,  are  introduced  for  the  supply  of  the  section 
descending  the  valley  of  the  Youghiogheny. 

According  to  the  documents  hereto  annexed,  the  estimate  of  this  subdivision  amounts 
to  $1,459,316.93.  And  the  estimate  of  the  western  portion  amounts  to  $2,699,532.25. 

We  close  the  description  of  the  present  middle  section  by  offering  the  following  sum¬ 
mary  of  the  main  facts  relating  to  it : 


Distances. 

Ascent  and 
descent. 

Number 
of  locks. 

Estimate. 

Eastern  portion . 

Miles.  Yds. 
29  240 

5  1,  260 
35  1,  250 

Feet. 

1,325 

166 

$3,  856,  623  60 
8,  471,  967  01 
2,  699,  532  25 

Summit-level .  .  ... _ ... _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 

W estern  portion . . . 

636 

80 

Total  . . . . . 

70  1,  010 

1,  961 

246 

10,  028, 122  86 

WESTERN  SECTION. 

This  section  commences  440  yards  below  the  junction  of  Casselman’s  River  with  the 
Youghiogheny ;  it  follows  the  right  side  of  the  valley  to  the  Monongahela,  and  hence  to 
Pittsburgh,  along  the  right  bank  of  this  stream. 

The  ground  on  the  left  of  the  Youghiogheny  is  nearly  of  the  same  kind  as  that  on  the 
right ;  the  distance  and  descent  the  same  for  either  bank ;  however,  the  right  bank 
deserves  the  preference  on  account  of  exposure,  and  of  its  receiving  the  main  tributa¬ 
ries  of  the  stream ;  it  will  not  require,  across  the  Youghiogheny,  two  aqueducts,  which 
would  otherwise  become  indispensable,  should  the  canal  follow  the  left  side  of  the 
valley. 

This  section  will  be  supplied  with  water  by  the  Youghiogheny  and  its  tributaries ;  and 
since  the  eastern  end  must  rely  chiefly  upon  the  Youghiogheny,  Casselman’s  River,  and 

H.  Ex.  208 - 4 


50  EXTENSION  OF  THE  CHESAPEAKE  AND  OHIO  CANAL. 


Laurel  Hill  Run,  we  will  first  present  the  results  of  the  gauging  of  the  streams,  made 
in  1825  and  1826,  during  the  month  of  July  : 

Cubic  feet. 


Casselman’s  at  its  mouth,  July  20,  1825,  per  second .  40 

Laurel  Hill  Run  at  its  mouth,  July  20,  1825 .  7 

Youghiogheny  River,  above  the  mouth  of  Casselman  s,  July  21, 1825 .  70 


Cubic  feet  per  second . .  117 


Casselman’s  at  its  mouth,  July  20,  1826,  per  second .  46 

Laurel  Hill  at  its  mouth,  July  20,  1826,  per  second .  26 

Youghiogheny  River,  above  the  mouth  of  Casselman’s,  July  20,  1826 .  104 


Cubic  feet  per  second .  176 


These  results,  though  obtained  at  a  time  of  low  water,  yet  cannot  be  deemed  as  the 
minima  of  what  these  streams  can  afford ;  when  measured  they  were  not  at  their 
lowest  stage.  Therefore,  we  assume  but  70  cubic  feet  per  second  as  the  minimum  of 
water  yielded  by  these  three  streams  taken  together,  at  the  driest  epoch  of  the  year. 

The  Youghiogheny  gauged  at  other  points  has  given,  in  1825,  the  following  results  : 

July  28,  at  the  Ohiopyle  Falls,  per  second,  155  cubic  feet  reduced  to  100  cubic  feet. 

August  2,  at  Connellsville,  per  second,  129  cubic  feet  reduced  to  100  cubic  feet. 

September  2,  at  its  mouth,  per  second,  200  cubic  feet  reduced  to  150  cubic  feet. 

The  stream,  though  very  low  when  measured,  was  not,  however,  at  its  lowest  stage  ; 
but  the  season  was  uncommonly  dry,  and  the  above  reductions  may  be  considered  as 
minimum. 

To  these  resources  of  running  water  we  must  add  the  following  reservoirs : 

Cubic  yards. 


Indian  Creek .  210,370 

Mountz’s  Creek .  323,  889 

Jacob’s  Creek . . .  356, 857 

Big  Sewickly  Creek . .  1, 750, 180 

Dunbar .  214,464 


2, 855, 760 

To  which  may  be  added  the  reservoirs  which  might  be  formed  in  Casselman’s  River 
and  Laurel  Hill  Run  Valleys. 

We  must  remark  that  the  feeders  from  all  these  reservoirs  will  be  very  short,  their 
length  varying  from  half  a  mile  to  four  miles  only. 

Having  pointed  out  the  means  upon  which  we  have  full  reliance  to  feed  this  section 
of  canal,  we  shall  show  their  distribution  at  the  same  time  as  we  describe  the  succes¬ 
sive  subdivisions  of  said  sections. 

Subdivision  1. — From  the  western  end  of  the  middle  section  to  Connellsville  : 

Distance,  27-£  miles  ;  descent,  432  feet ;  54  locks. 

This  subdivision  begins  about  one-quarter  of  a  mile  below  the  mouth  of  Casselman’s 
River.  The  bottom  of  the  canal  is  placed  here  4  feet  above  the  level  of  low  water  in 
Casselman’s  River,  in  order  to  afford  the  greatest  advantage  in  taking  a  feeder  from 
this  stream,  and  also  in  using  the  most  favorable  ground  below. 

In  the  course  of  the  first  three  miles,  the  ground  becomes  gradually  more  difficult, 
until  it  assumes  the  rocky  and  steep  appearance  which  is  so  peculiarly  the  character 
of  the  Youghiogheny  in  so  many  parts  of  its  upper  course.  To  this  difficulty  of  the 
ground  must  be  added  those  arising  from  the  necessity  of  keeping  the  canal  above  the 
freshets,  whose  elevation  varies  from  13  to  16  feet. 

The  ground  continues  unfavorable  as  far  down  as  the  old  salt-works,  seven  miles 
from  the  beginning  of  this  subdivision,  where  the  line  pursues,  for  a  short  distance, 
some  favorable  ground  ;  but  it  becomes  almost  immediately  thrown  upon  a  steep  hill¬ 
side  covered  with  loose  rocks,  and  which  continues  for  three  miles  further  to  Ohiopyle 
Falls. 

These  falls  form  one  of  the  most  remarkable  features  of  the  Youghiogheny,  and  are 
formed  by  the  river  breaking  through  tbe  rocky  base  of  the  ridge  of  Laurel  Hill.  The 
difficulty  it  has  found  in  forcing  this  obstacle  is  plainly  indicated  by  the  sudden  bend 
which  the  river  here  makes  and  the  rough  appearance  of  the  channel  it  has  carved  out. 
It  is  most  fortunate  that  the  line  of  canal  can,  by  means  of  a  moderate  cut,  283  yards 
long  and  18£  feet  deep,  avoid  pursuing  the  bank  of  this  rugged  channel.  This  deep 
cut  across  the  neck  of  the  bend  of  the  river  has,  besides,  the  advantage  of  shortening 
the  line  by  one  mile  and  a  half. 

A  feeder  is  proposed  to  be  taken  from  the  river  a  little  above  the  falls,  for  which  the 
localities  are  very  favorable  ;  but  the  line  of  canal,  by  pursuing  the  most  advantageous 
ground,  has  to  descend,  within  the  short  distance  of  one  mile,  96  feet;  which  circum¬ 
stance  will  oblige  to  locate  the  locks  too  near  to  each  other  for  presenting  ponds  of 
sufficient  extent  between  them.  Several  plans  suggested  themselves  to  obviate  this 


EXTENSION  OF  THE  CHESAPEAKE  AND  OHIO  CANAL.  51 


inconvenience :  first,  to  have  the  intervening  ponds  sufficiently  wide  to  admit  the 
easy  passage  of  two  boats  at  once,  aud  to  supply  these  ponds  and  the  locks  by  means 
of  a  waste- way  parallel  to  their  course;  second,  to  have  lateral  reservoirs  to  receive 
the  contents  of  adjoining  locks,  and  to  transmit  it  respectively  to  the  second  lock  below ; 
third,  to  make  the  ponds  liable  to  have  the  level  of  their  waters  varied  from  2  to  3 
feet,  and  thus  making  them  perform  the  functions  of  locks.  A  close  examination,  when 
locating  the  line,  will  determine  which  of  these  means  deserves  the  preference.  The 
two  first  will  cause  a  greater  consumption  of  water  than  usual,  but  as  a  feeder,  to  be 
immediately  introduced  above  for  the  purpose  of  supplying  the  next  level  below,  this 
consumption  is  not,  in  this  case,  to  be  taken  into  consideration. 

Below  the  Ohiopyle  Falls  the  ground  continues  difficult  for  about  nine  miles  to  In¬ 
dian  Creek.  On  this  distance  the  canal  is  mostly  to  be  carried  along  a  steep  bank,  in 
part  supported  by  walls,  and  excavated  through  rock.  The  descent  is  also  rapid,  being 
about  160  feet,  and  requiring  20  locks.  Indian  Creek  is  to  be  crossed  by  an  aqueduct ; 
it  will  afford  a  valuable  supply  of  water,  for  securing  which  a  feeder  and  reservoir  are 
proposed. 

The  ground  from  Indian  Creek  to  Connellsville,  seven  miles,  is  still  difficult,  but  more 
varied  in  its  character  than  above  ;  it  will  necessitate  alternately  steep  hill-side  cut¬ 
ting,  much  of  which  is  rock,  and  some  expensive  walling,  interspersed  with  some  pieces 
of  moderate  cutting. 

A  basin  is  proposed  at  Connellsville,  on  the  level  of  the  canal,  for  the  accommoda¬ 
tion  of  the  trade  of  this  place ;  its  communication  with  the  river  is  established  by 
means  of  locks. 

This  subdivision  is  supplied  with  water  by  the  Youghiogheny  above  the  mouth  of  Cas- 
selman’s  River,  by  Casselman’s  River  and  Laurel  Hill  Run.  At  the  Ohiopyle  Falls  it 
receives  a  new  supply  from  the  Youghiogheny  ;  at  Indian  Creek  it  will  also,  when  neces¬ 
sary,  receive  a  supply  from  the  reservoir  formed  above  the  mouth  of  this  creek.  From 
the  detailed  estimate,  hereto  annexed,  the  estimate  cost  of  this  subdivision  amounts 
to  $1,515,436.59. 

Subdivision  2. — From  Connellsville  to  Sewicklv  Creek  : 

Distance,  27-J-  miles  ;  descent,  144  feet ;  18  locks.  From  the  beginning  of  the  section, 
54f  miles  ;  descent,  576  feet ;  72  locks. 

Before  arriving  at  Connellsville  the  line  may  be  said  to  have  completely  passed  the 
range  of  the  western  ridges,  aud  the  face  of  the  country  undergoes  an  entire  change. 
The  banks  of  the  river,  however,  do  not  so  suddenly  lose  the  character  they  bear  above, 
but  it  continues  to  offer  a  succession  of  similar,  though  gradually  decreasing  difficul¬ 
ties,  for  some  distance  below.  This  subdivision  will,  therefore,  like  the  portion  above 
Connellsville,  require,  for  almost  its  whole  distance,  steep  side-cutting  and  walling 
alternately  ;  it  will,  consequently,  be  expensive. 

Mountz’s  Creek,  one  mile,  and  Jacob’s  Creek,  seventeen  miles,  below  Connellsville, 
will  afford  a  valuable  supply  of  water  for  this  subdivision  ;  but  a  resort  to  the  river  is 
still  considered  necessary,  and  provision  is  made  to  effect  this  a  little  below  Mountz’s 
Creek. 

The  two  creeks  hereabove  mentioned  are  to  be  crossed  by  aqueducts  which,  owing 
to  the  great  breadth  of  the  valleys,  will  require,  at  their  ends,  considerable  embank¬ 
ments. 

The  estimated  cost  of  this  subdivision  amounts  to  $1,306,525.95. 

Subdivision  3. — From  Sewickly  Creek  to  the  mouth  of  the  Youghiogheny  : 

Distauce,  16^  miles  ;  descent,  8  feet ;  1  lock.  From  the  beginning  of  the  section, 
miles ;  descent,  584  feet ;  73  locks. 

This  subdivision  offers  a  larger  portion  of  easy  cutting  than  the  preceding,  but  will 
still  require  a  large  portion  of  side-cutting  and  walls  to  pass  round  the  bluffs.  These 
subdivisions  are  numerous,  and  though  none  individually  is  of  great  extent,  yet  they 
form,  together,  a  length  of  several  miles  of  expensive  works. 

As  McKeesport  is  at  the  junction  of  the  Youghiogheny  and  Monongahela,  a  basin  is 
proposed  there  for  the  accommodation  of  the  trade  of  the  latter  stream. 

The  only  lateral  supply  of  water  for  this  subdivision  is  from  the  reservoir  above  the 
mouth  of  Sewickly  Creek,  and  it  becomes  necessary  to  resort  to  the  Youghiogheny 
again  in  order  to  meet  the  deficiency  which  otherwise  would  be  felt  on  the  subdivision 
to  Pittsburgh.  To  fulfill  this  object,  a  dam  is  proposed  across  the  Youghiogheny  at  a 
favorable  point  three  miles  above  its  mouth.  This  dam  will  require  a  considerable 
height,  and  therefore  locks  must  adjoin  it  that  the  navigation  of  the  stream  should 
not  be  injured  by  the  works  of  the  canal,  but  rather  be  benefited  by  them. 

The  estimate  of  this  subdivision  amounts  to  $741,469.54. 

Subdivision  4. — From  the  mouth  of  the  Youghiogheny  to  Pittsburgh : 

Distance,  14  miles;  descent,  35  feet ;  5  locks.  From  the  beginning  of  the  section, 
85£  miles  ;  descent,  619  feet ;  78  locks. 

This  subdivision  is  generally  located  through  favorable  ground;  however,  some  side 
excavation  will  still  be  necessary,  and  a  deep  cut  near  Pittsburgh  of  about  three  miles 
in  length  and  15  feet  of  average  depth  is  indispensable  to  avoid  a  line  yet  more  diffi¬ 
cult  and  expensive. 


52  EXTENSION  OF  THE  CHESAPEAKE  AND  OHIO  CANAL. 


This  subdivision  is  almost  entirely  dependent  on  the  Youghiogheny,  above  McKees¬ 
port.  for  its  supply  of  water ;  the  streams  crossed  by  the  canal  afford  so  little  water 
during  the  dry  season  that  no  reliance  can  be  placed  upon  them. 

According  to  the  documents  hereto  annexed,  the  estimate  of  this  subdivision  amounts 
to  $606,891.60. 

Summary  of  the  westei'n  section. 


Distance. 

Descent. 

Number  of  locks. 

Estimate. 

Miles. 

Feet. 

85  i 

619 

78 

$4, 170, 223  78 

Here  ends  the  description  of  the  several  sections  of  the  Chesapeake  and  Ohio  Canal, 
and  whose  general  summary  is  as  follows  : 


Sections. 

Distance. 

A  scent 
and 

descent. 

Number 

of 

locks. 

Amount  of 
estimate. 

Eastern . 

Miles.  Yds. 
185  1,  078 
70  1,  010 

Feet. 

578 

74 

$8, 177,  081  05 
10.  028,  122  86 

Middle . 

1,  961 

619 

246 

W  estern . . . 

85  348 

78 

4, 170,  223  78 

Total . . 

341  676 

3, 158 

398 

22,  375,  427  69 

The  foregoing  description  shows  that  the  Chesapeake  and  Ohio  Canal  presents  nearly 
all  the  characteristics  which  contribute  to  render  a  work  of  this  kind  very  expensive, 
viz,  an  extraordinary  amount  of  lockage,  along  tunnel  passing  under  a  very  elevated 
ridge ;  walling  unusually  frequent  along  the  whole  line  ;  extensive  portions  of  deep 
cutting;  excavation  of  rocky  ground  and  side  cutting,  predominating  from  one  end  of 
the  canal  to  the  other.  The  tunnel  and  lockage  alone  form,  together,  four-elevenths 
of  the  whole  expense,  and  if,  from  the  total  estimate,  we  take  out  the  tunnel,  and 
reduce  the  lockage  to  1,200  feet,  (which  may  be  deemed  an  unusual  amount  for  such  a 
distance,)  the  estimate  would  then  amount  to  $16,000,000  only,  notwithstanding  the 
other  difficulties  to  be  overcome,  and  the  accommodation  of  trade  along  the  valleys  of 
the  Potomac  and  Youghiogheny. 

We  will  also  observe  that  the  middle  section  alone,  whose  length  is  but  seventy 
miles,  or  one-fifth  of  the  whole  length  of  the  line,  will  cost  (according  to  the  estimate) 
$10,000,000,  or  the  five-elevenths  of  the  whole  expense,  while  the  eastern  and  western 
sections,  whose  lengths  form  together  the  four-fifths  of  the  whole,  will  cost  but 
$12,000,000,  or  the  six-elevenths  of  the  -whole  estimate. 

We  consider,  however,  as  fortunate  that  these  two  expensive  articles,  extra  lockage 
and  tunnel,  should  be  found  both  located  upon  a  section  which,  after  new  investiga¬ 
tions  and  mature  reflection,  might  prove  to  be  advantageously  superseded  by  a  rail¬ 
way.  Indeed,  the  inexhaustible  mines  of  coal  found  in  the  lower  parts  of  the  valleys 
of  Wilks  Creek  and  Casselman’s  River  seem  to  point  out  to  us,  as  a  means  to  avoid 
this  expensive  middle  section,  the  expediency  of  a  railway,  with  either  locomotive-en¬ 
gines  or  stationary  steam-engines,  used  as  lifting-power. 

We  must  also  observe  that  this  section  w7ill  be  wanted,  but  after  the  completion  of 
the  eastern  and  western  sections,  which  two  last  being  in  Washington  and  Pittsburgh, 
within  seventy  milesoflandcommunication,wouldsooupointout,  by  their  results,  what 
should  be  the  most  expedient  mode  of  connecting  them.  Perhaps,  then,  a  smooth 
road,  with  an  easy  graduation,  would,  at  first,  be  resorted  to  from  the  mouth  of  Cas¬ 
selman’s  River  to  Cumberland  ;  or,  should  a  great  amount  of  trade  warrant  it,  a  rail¬ 
way  might  be  adopted.  In  this  latter  case,  which  we  deem  the  most  probable,  the 
revenue  of  the  eastern  and  western  sections  would  not  only  afford  the  usual  interest 
of  the  capital  employed  in  their  construction,  but  also  have  a  surplus  fund  with  which 
a  railway  might  be  erected. 

Therefore,  we  are  decidedly  of  opinion  that  for  the  present  the  expense  relating  to 
the  eastern  and  western  sections  ought  exclusively  to  be  taken  into  consideration  ; 
that  the  sum  of  about  $12,000,000,  to  be  expended  for  their  construction,  will  create 
the  means  and  afford  the  resources  to  procure  to  the  work  the  mode  of  completion 
most  adequate  to  its  object. 

Our  instructions  being  to  plan  a  canal  from  tide-water  in  the  Potomac  to  the  head 
of  steamboat  navigation  in  the  Ohio  River,  we  had  not  to  take  into  consideration  either 
railways  or  any  other  substitute  for  the  difficult  and  expensive  sections  of  the  canal  ; 
therefore  no  oi)erat:ons  in  the  field,  no  investigations  in  the  closet,  have  been  made  in 


EXTENSION  OF  THE  CHESAPEAKE  AND  OHIO  CANAL. 


53 


relation  to  such  an  alternative.  And,  indeed,  had  even  our  instructions  demanded 
such  inquiries,  the  want  of  time  and  the  limited  means  at  our  disposal  would  have 
prevented  us  from  bestowing  upon  the  subject  the  full  and  mature  consideration  to 
which  it  is  so  deservedly  entitled.  However,  we  do  not  hesitate  anticipating  that  a 
railway  from  the  mouth  of  Casselman’s  River  to  Cumberland  will  bear,  as  to  expense 
and  time,  a  favorable  comparison  with  the  middle  section  above  described. 

We  recommend,  therefore,  tor  a  canal  from  tide-water  in  the  Potomac  to  the  head  of 
steamboat  navigation  iu  the  Ohio  the  route  and  plan  hereinabove  described  ;  and  we 
submit  respectfully  to  consideration  the  expediency  of  making  the  surveys  and  inves¬ 
tigations  necessary  to  ascertain,  as  accurately  as  practicable,  the  comparative  merits 
of  a  railway  and  a  canal  for  the  section  of  route  from  Cumberland  to  the  mouth  of 
Casselman’s  River. 

Additional  subdivision  of  the  eastern  section  of  the  Chesapeake  and  Ohio  Canal  from  the  mouth 
of  Savage  River  to  Cumberland. 

Distance,  30  miles  350  yards ;  descent,  312  feet ;  39  locks. 

The  canal  for  this  subdivision  remains  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Potomac.  This  plan 
was  adopted  after  an  attentive  consideration  of  the  relative  advantages  and  disadvan¬ 
tages  of  passing  the  river  several  times  to  follow  the  best  ground.  But  to  do  this,  such 
frequent  crossings  would  be  necessary,  and  attended  with  so  many  inconveniences  and 
risks,  that  this  project  was  deemed  the  less  expedient. 

As  the  object  of  this  subdivision  is  to  attain  the  coal  mines  near  Savage  River,  it 
was  considered  whether  this  might  not  be  attained  by  a  canal  of  smaller  dimensions 
and  less  perfect  than  the  main  line  below  ;  the  result  of  which  was  that  the  dimen¬ 
sions  and  plan  of  the  original  canal  were  adhered  to.  For,  first,  it  was  found  on  apply¬ 
ing  the  calculations  to  the  ground,  that  a  very  trilling  decrease  of  expense  would  be 
made  by  decreasing  materially  the  dimensions  of  the  canal :  and,  second,  the  unfavor¬ 
able  character  of  the  river  to  a  lock  and  dam  navigation,  which  was  thought  of  as  a 
substitute,  rendered  this  scheme  almost  as  expensive,  and  much  inferior  in  usefulness 
to  the  independent  canal. 

The  subdivision  begins  by  a  basin  formed  in  the  Potomac  by  a  dam,  immediately 
below  the  mouth  of  Savage  River.  The  line  immediately  enters  on  a  most  difficult 
piece  of  ground,  which  continues  more  than  half  a  mile;  another  half  mile  is  then 
favorable,  after  which  it  continues  difficult  for  three-fourths  of  a  mile,  to  Westernport. 
It  then  becomes  favorable,  with  the  exception  of  several  small  portions,  to  the  end  of 
the  seventh  mile,  when  the  great  bend  of  the  river,  opposite  to  Paddy  Town,  causes 
the  ground  to  become  very  rugged  and  difficult  for  a  space  of  two  miles.  Below  this, 
for  three  miles,  the  favorable  ground  is  intersected  by  only  small  portions  of  rock  side. 
For  the  ensuing  five  miles,  the  approach  of  Fort  Hill  to  the  river  presents  alternately 
some  easy  ground,  but  a  large  portion  of  very  difficult  nature,  requiring  much  walling 
and  excavation  of  rock.  Below  this  the  ground  is  favorable  for  three  miles,  through 
Cressap’s  meadow,  when  difficulties  again  occur  for  two  miles.  The  remaining  dis¬ 
tance  to  Cumberland  is  favorable  with  the  exception  of  three  portions,  which  are  not 
of  very  great  extent,  but  which  will  require  extensive  works.  An  aqueduct  over  Will’s 
Creek  will  be  necessary. 

About  eight  miles  above  Cumberland  it  is  proposed  to  place  a  dam  across  the  river, 
and  to  use  its  water  not  only  for  the  supply  of  the  lower  part  of  this  subdivision,  but 
also  of  that  below. 

BERNARD, 

Member  of  the  Board  of  Internal  Improvement. 

WM.  TELL  POUSSIN, 

Captain  Topociraphical  Engineers ,  and  Assistant  to  the  Board. 

W.  HOWARD, 

Civil  Engineer,  Assistant  to  the  Board. 

Abstract  of  estimate. 


1,336,618  cubic  yards  excavation,  (18  to  88  cents  per  yard) . .  $339,  441  46 

562,000  cubic  yards  embankment,  (20  cents  per  yard) .  113, 257  60 

210,931  cubic  yards  walling,  ($3.50  per  yard) .  720,  655  80 

2  aqueducts,  (3  arches  and  2  arches) . . . .  66,277  00 

41  locks  of  800-foot  lift,  ($12,000  each) . .  492,  000  00 

34  culverts . 10,200  00 

12  bridges .  4, 200  00 

Puddling .  31,722  00 

Fencing .  16,200  00 

2  waste-weirs .  1,  000  00 


Total .  1,794,963  86 


Or  30^  miles,  at  $59,435  per  mile. 


54 


EXTENSION  OF  THE  CHESAPEAKE  AND  OHIO  CANAL. 


APPENDIX  B. 

Report  on  the  Salisbury  Somerset  Coal-Basin ,  by  J.  P.  Lesley,  Professor  of  Geology,  Univer¬ 
sity  of  Pennsylvania. 

Somerset  County,  in  southwest  Pennsylvania,  borders  on  Maryland. 

Salisbury  and  Berlin  are  towns  in  its  first  sub-coal-basin  back  of  tbe  Alleghany 
Mountains  ;  Ursina  and  Confluence  are  in  the  next  sub-basin  west  of  Negro  Mountain  ; 
Ligonier  Valley  holds  the  second  bituminous  coal-basin,  and  lies  west  of  Laurel  Hill. 

Connellsville  and  Blairsville,  west  of  Chestnut  Ridge,  mark  the  east  outcrop  of  the 
third,  fourth,  fifth,  and  sixth  bituminous-coal  basins,  extending  unbroken  into  the  State 
of  Ohio. 

******* 

The  basin  of  the  upper  or  Salisbury  coals  extends  about  nine  miles,  from  near  Meyer’s 
mills,  at  its  north  end,  to  just  over  the  Maryland  line. 

The  lower  coal-beds,  with  which  we  will  have  less  to  do,  spread  down  from  the  top  of 
the  Alleghany  Mountains  under  the  whole  of  Somerset  County,  excepting  only  the 
summit  of  Negro  Mountain  and  the  crest  of  Laurel  Hill. 

The  upper  coal-beds,  which  give  to  the  Salisbury  Basin  its  exceptional  importance, 
have  been  entirely  swept  away  from  the  surface  of  Somerset  County,  except  in  two 
places  :  1st,  they  remain  in  the  long  narrow  ridge  at  Salisbury  ;  2d,  they  remain  in  the 
central  part  of  the  Frostburgh  or  Cumberland  Basin.  They  remain  also  in  eastern 
Fayette  County,  in  one  little  hill-top  near  Ligonier ;  and  the  Pittsburgh  bed  has  been 
left  in  like  manner,  on  Broad  Top,  in  Huntingdon  County,  under  a  few  acres  at  the 
summit  of  the  highest  peak  of  that  mountain.  With  these  few  exceptions,  this  bed  has 
been  washed,  worn,  or  eroded  from  the  whole  surface  of  Middle  and  Western  Pennsyl¬ 
vania,  east  of  a  line  drawn  through  Connellsville  and  Blairsville.  West  of  this  line, 
and  south  of  the  Ivishkaminitas  and  Ohio  Rivers,  the  upper  or  Pittsburgh  coal  series 
of  beds  have  more  or  less  escaped  erosion,  and  are  spread  through  western  Fayette  and 
Westmoreland  Counties,  and  are  mined  every  where  along  the  rivers  which  flow  with 
and  into  the  Monongahela.  At  Ursina  and  Confluence  we  have  only  the  lower  coals. 
At  Connellsville,  Greensburgh,  and  Pittsburgh  we  have  the  upper  coals,  as  also  in  the 
Salisbury  Hills  ;  also  in  the  center  of  the  Cumberland,  George’s  Creek,  or  Frostburgh 
coal-basin.  The  “Pittsburgh  Bed,”  the  “Connellsville  Bed,”  the  “Irwin  Gas-Coal 
Bed,”  the  “Greensburgh  Great  Bed,”  the  big  bed  at  Latrobe  and  SaRsburgh,  are  all 
one  and  the  same  coal-bed ;  the  same  as  the  lowest  of  the  three  upper  Salisbury  beds, 
(about  to  be  described,)  the  same  as  the  George’s  Creek  bed  in  the  middle  of  the  “  Cum¬ 
berland  Basin.” 

This  is  the  fact  of  first  importance  in  a  report  on  the  Salisbury  coal-basin. 

The  fact  of  next  importance  is  that  the  coal-bed  above  described  becomes  thin  and 
poor  toward  Pittsburgh  and  down  the  Ohio,  but  grows  slowly  and  steadily  in  size  and 
quality  going  east  along  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad,  southeast  along  the  Baltimore 
and  Pittsburgh  Railroad,  and  south  up  the  Monongahela. 

At  Pittsburgh  it  is  about  6  feet  thick,  and  injured  by  pyrites  and  slate;  at  Irwin’s 
and  Monongahela  City  it  is  8  and  9  feet  thick,  and  a  fine  gas-coal ;  at  Connellsville  and 
Latrobe  it  is  11  and  12  feet  thick,  a  noble  bed  for  coking-purposes.  What  it  was  in  the 
country  between  Connellsville  and  Meyer’s  mills  we  do  not  know,  but  when  we  next 
meet  a  fragment  of  it  at  Meyer’s  mills,  in  the  Salisbury  ridge,  we  find  it  from  12  to  15 
feet  thick.  And  finally,  in  the  Cumberland  Basin  it  is  17  feet  thick,  and  everybody 
knows  its  quality  there  by  the  annual  consumption  of  from  one  to  two  millious  of  tons 
in  Baltimore,  Philadelphia,  New  York,  and  Washington,  and  on  coastwise  and  ocean 
steamers.  This  is  the  bed  which  furnishes  almost  all  the  coke  used  at  Pittsburgh  and 
the  largest  part  of  the  raw  coal  of  the  Oliio-River  trade,  and  its  quality  is  so  superior 
that  it  has  long  monopolized  the  iron-making  market  at  Saint  Louis,  Mo.  This  is  the 
bed  which  furnishes  almost  all  the  coal  to  the  gas-works  of  the  seaboard  cities  and 
inland  towns  ;  and  apropos  of  this  circumstance — 

The  fact  of  next  importance  is  that  the  percentage  of  gas  yielded  by  the  coal  of  this 
bed  increases  westward  and  decreases  eastward.  In  the  Pittsburgh  region  it  yields 
from  35  to  40  per  cent,  of  volatile  matter;  at  Blairsville,  Latrobe,  Connellsville,  and 
Uniontown  its  average  may  be  called  30  per  cent. ;  in  the  Cumberland  Basin  it  is  some¬ 
times  as  low  as  17  per  cent.  Its  average  in  the  Salisbury  Basin  will,  therefore,  be 
somewhere  above  20  per  cent,  and  below  25  per  cent. 

(Note. — I  have  no  trustworthy  analysis  of  these  Salisbury  coals.  One  specimen  was 
said  to  yield  29  per  cent,  volatile  matter.  The  Ursina,  Confluence,  or  Turkeyfoot 
lower  coals  under-run  29  per  cent.,  and  lie  farther  west.) 

As  we  distinguish  such  coals  as  semi-bituminous,  coals  with  only  10  to  12  per  cent, 
as  semi-anthracite,  and  coal  with  from  9  to  5  per  cent,  as  anthracite,  we  may  say  (in 
the  market)  that  the  Salisbury  coal  (of  this  bed)  belongs  with  the  George’s  Creek 
Cumberland  semi-bituminous  steam-coals,  the  finest  steam-coal,  by  the  by,  in  the  world. 
It  has,  however,  a  little  more  gas,  and  belongs  properly  also  to  the  good  coking-coals, 
with  an  advantage  over  the  Connellsville  part  of  the  bed,  not  in  the  excellence  of  its 


EXTENSION  OF  THE  CHESAPEAKE  AND  OHIO  CANAL.  55 


coke,  but  in  making  200  pounds  more  of  coke  from  a  ton  of  coal,  viz,  10  per  cent.,  or 
whatever  else  may  be  the  proved  difference  between  the  average  percentage  of  volatile 
matter  in  the  coals  of  the  two  districts. 

The  next  important  fact  to  be  noticed  is  that  there  are  three  other  coal-beds  over- 
lying  the  Pittsburgh-Connellsville  bed,  two  of  which  are  also  preserved  in  the  Salisbury 
Basin. 

On  Cheat  River,  in  Virginia,  the  whole  system  of  four  beds  is  as  follows  : 


Feet. 

Waynesburgh  coal-bed,  from.. .  6  to  9 

Interval,  (shales,  sandstones,  limestone,)  from .  183  to  207 

Sewickly  coal-bed,  from .  4|  to  6 

Interval,  (shales,  sandstone,  limestone,)  from .  40  to  49 

Redstone  coal-bed,  from . 4  to  5 

Interval,  (shales,  sandstone,  limestone,)  from .  18  to  6 

Pittsburgh  coal-bed,  from .  7  to  14 


At  Uniontown  and  Connellsville  there  are,  in  all,  six  beds,  well  marked,  and  sep 


arated  from  each  other ;  thus : 

Feet. 

Nameless  coal-bed . — 

Interval .  18 

Wayuesburgh  coal-bed .  1  to  3 

Interval . 120 

Uniontown  coal-bed . 2 

Interval  (great  limestone  formation) .  130 

Sewickly  coal-bed,  interval .  5 

Redstone  coal-bed,  very  thin,  interval .  86 

Pittsburgh  coal-bed .  14 


In  our  Salisbury  coal-basin  we  have  as  the  highest  rock  on  the  hill-tops,  the  equiva- 
leut  of  the  Wayuesburgh  sandstone  in  the  form  of  a  massive  conglomerate  sandstone 
called  (after  its  Kentucky  name)  the  anvil-rock — black  slate  representing  the  Waynes- 
burgh  coal-bed. 

Feet. 


The  upper  limestone,  black  slate,  and  a  little  coal .  20 

Uniontown  coal-bed,  (coal  and  slate) .  50 

The  lower  limestone .  15 

Sewickly  coal,  (upper  Berlin,  coal  and  slate) .  15 

Interval .  55 

Redstone  coal,  (double  bed) .  10 

Interval .  30 

Pittsburgh  coal,  (lower  Berlin) .  11 


Such  was  the  section  I  made  at  Myer’s  mills,  iu  September,  1857.  In  1870  I  got 
numerous  sections  along  the  southern  or  Salisbury  portion  of  the  basin,  which  show 
the  usual  variations  both  in  the  size  of  the  coal-beds  and  in  the  intervals  separating 
them,  but  prove  the  only  fact  of  importance  to  us,  that  the  Pittsburgh  bed  maintains 
its  predominant  quantity  and  quality  the  entire  length  of  the  basin.  They  prove  also 
the  Sewickly  bed  is  everywhere  large,  but  not  reliable  in  quality,  being  very  slaty. 
They  prove  also  that  the  redstone-bed  is  persistent,  but  not  an  unusually  large  bed. 
They  reveal,  moreover,  a  new  and  important  fact,  that  there  is  a  valuable  coal-bed 
underlying  the  Pittsburgh  coal-bed. 

The  section  of  the  southern  half  of  the  Salisbury  basin  (upper)  coal-measures  may, 
therefore,  be  thus  stated : 

Feet. 


The  great  limestone  Sewickly  coal-bed,  (slaty) .  10 

Interval,  (soft  shales) .  44 

Redstone  coal-bed .  6 

Interval,  (shales) . 10 

Pittsburgh  coal-bed,  (with  parting  2  feet) .  18 

Interval  containing  two  small  coal-beds .  64 

Salisbury  coal-bed,  over . 4 

Thence  down  to  the  level  of  Casselman’s  River .  55 


(Opened  recently  on  the  Jouas  Beechy  tract,  15  feet  above  river,  5-£  feet  of  pure  coal.) 

Although  the  Salisbury  basin  is  only  nine  or  ten  miles  long,  and  »<ne  or  two  miles  wide, 
and  cut  by  numerous  short  ravines,  which  make  the  outcrop  of  these  beds  follow  zig¬ 
zag  courses  around  the  hill-sides,  it  will  be  seen  at  once,  from  the  above  sections,  what 
an  enormous  quantity  of  coal  has  been  left  in  the  ridge,  and  how  perfectly  accessible 
it  is.  I  shall  give  quantities  presently. 

There  lie  beneath  the  river-bed,  and  conformable  to  the  upper  coal-measures  ju.t 


56  EXTENSION  OF  THE  CHESAPEAKE  AND  OHIO  CANAL. 


described,  the  following  beds  of  the  lower  coal-measures.  These  have  been  struck  in 
an  oil-well  boring  as  follows  in  depths  from  mouth  of  well: 

Feet. 


Elk  Lick  coal,  (called  4  feet  thick,)  at .  96 

Upper  Freeport  coal,  (calltd  10  feet  thick,)  at .  132 

Lower  Freeport  (?)  coal,  (called  8  feet,)  at .  252 

Black  slate  and  coal,  (mixed.  2  feet,)  at .  300 

Johnstown  ore-bed,  at  about .  340 

Streaks  of  coal,  at  about .  480 

Conglomerate,  (forming  crest  of  Alleghany  Mountains) . . .  500 

And  continuing  more  or  less  to .  640 

Red  shale  of  XI,  hence  down  to  bottom  of  well .  690 


These  coal-beds  of  the  lower  system  spread  through  the  hills  ea^t  of  Casselman’s 
River,  and  from  the  mineral  riches  of  all  the  Berlin,  Salisbury,  Ursina,  and  Johnstown 
country;  but  they  are  hardly  worthy  of  entering  into  our  present  discussion  of  the 
upper  coal-beds  of  the  Pittsburgh  (Salisbury)  series,  in  the  Salisbury  Basin  ridge. 

The  area  occupied  by  the  Pittsburgh  (Connellsville  or  Westmoreland)  bed  s  eight 
and  a  half  miles  long;  its  greatest  width  is  three  miles,  and  the  average  width  oppo¬ 
site  Salisbury,  and  south  of  Tubmill  Run,  one  mile. 

QUANTITY  OF  PITTSBURGH  BED-COAL. 

The  sum  total  of  5,000  acres  of  coal-bed  is  got  by  deducting  about  1,000  acres  for  loss 
by  valley  erosion,  and  indefinite  southwest  limit,  from  5,955  acrt-s  of  calculated  total 
coal-bed  area  between  Myer’s  mills  and  the  south  end  of  the  Salisbury  Basin. 

The  whole  area  is  subdivided  naturally  into  four  portions,  thus : 


Per  foot. 

A  2  000  acres,  which  at  1,000  tons .  2,000,000  tons. 

B  2,200  acres,  which  at  1,000  tons .  2,200,000  tons. 

C  915  acres,  which  at  1,000  tons .  915,000  tons. 

D  840  acres,  which  at  1,000  tons .  840,000  tons. 


5, 955  acres,  which  at  1,000  tons .  5, 955, 000  tons. 

Say  5,000 . . .  5,000,000  tons. 

Allowing  only  10  feet  depth  to  the  bed  we  get .  50,  000,  000  tons. 


Note. — The  above  estimate  of  1,000  tons  to  the  acre,  for  each  foot  thickness  of  bed, 
allows  for  pillars,  slack  and  waste  of  all  kinds,  and  represents  the  amount  of  coal 
placed  in  the  cars  outside. 

The  actual  geological  quantity  of  coal  in  this  Salisbury  (Somerset  County)  outlier  of 
the  great  Pittsburgh  bed,  must  be  nearly  one  hundred  millions  of  tons. 

QUANTITY  OF  REDSTONE  BED-COAL. 

The  area  of  this  bed  is  about  one-half  that  of  the  great  bed  below  it,  and  its  aver¬ 
age  thickness  is  not  so  well  known.  I  do  not  think  it  prudent  to  estimate  for  all  its 
detached  areas,  ten  in  number,  more  than  15,000,000  tons,  possibly  gross  contents 
24,000,000  tons. 


QUANTITY  OF  SEWICKLY  BED-COAL. 

Area  about  one-tenth  of  the  Pittsburgh  bed ;  total  of  cost  of  all  qualities,  5,000,000 
tons.  The  above  estimates  are  in  minimo. 

QUANTITY  OF  SALISBURY  COAL. 

The  recent  opening  of  this  bed,  5£  feet  thick,  at  an  elevation  a  few  yards  above  the 
river-level,  near  the  south  end  of  the  basin,  is  a  matter  of  great  importance.  The  coal 
shown  to  me  in  Philadelphia  is  of  superb  quality,  although  somewhat  too  prismatic 
to  bear  long  transport.  It  appears  to  be  as  pure  as  the  best  George’s  Creek  (Cumber¬ 
land)  coal,  and  must  make  first  quality  of  coke.  (See  analysis  at  end  of  this  report.) 
It  outcrops  all  along  the  river-face  on  both  sides  of  Tubmill  Run  ;  and  its  total  area 
must  be  at  least  one-half  greater  than  that  of  the  Pittsburgh  bed,  but  I  have  reason 
to  believe  its  thickness  to  be  less  at  the  north  end  than  at  the  south  end  of  the  basin. 
(On  Elk  Lick  Creek  is  a  4-foot  bed  of  very  good  coal,  but  belonging  to  a  lower  geolog¬ 
ical  position.) 

The  Salisbury  coal-bed,  if  even  5  feet  thick  under  the  south  end  of  the  basin,  will 
contain  25,000,000  tons,  the  most,  if  not  all,  of  which  lies  above  water-level.  It  is 
then  proper  to  add  to  the  above  quantities  a  total  available  sum  in  this  Salisbury  bed 
of  at  least  20,000,000  tons. 


EXTENSION  OF  THE  CHESAPEAKE  AND  OHIO  CANAL. 


57 


QUANTITY  OF  COAL  BENEATH  WATER-LEVEL. 

Future  miniDg  operations  in  the  beds  of  the  lower  coal-measures  will  reveal  their 
condition,  thickness,  and  quantity.  They  underlie  the  whole  area  of,  say,  9,000  acres, 
more  or  less,  which  is  in  question.  It  is  perfectly  safe  to  give  two  beds  yielding  5  feet 
each,  i.  e.,  to  say,  120,000,000  tons,  or  on  a  practical  estimate,  90,000,000  tons. 

As  these  lower  beds  can  only  be  reached  by  shafts,  and  as  they  spread  throughout 
Somerset  County,  and  the  upper  beds  are  above  water-level  and  monopolized  by  a  few 
properties  between  Meyer’s  mills  and  the  Maryland  line,  it  seems  hardly  worth  while 
to  introduce  this  secondary  element  into  my  estimate  of  the  value  of  the  Salisbury 
Basin,  which  is  in  itself,  and  entirely  apart  from  the  existence  of  these  lower  coal-beds, 
so  extraordinarily  valuable. 

Note. — In  any  other  coal-region  of  the  world  the  existence  of  beds  nearly  horizontal, 
and  to  be  reached  by  shafts  less  than  300  feet  in  depth,  (see  oil-well  boring,)  would  of 
itself  give  great  value  to  the  overlying  properties.  My  report  on  the  Ursiua  lands 
shows  that  one  bed  struck  by  such  a  shaft  is  the  fine  6-fbot  coal  mined  on  the  north 
fork  of  Casselman’s  River,  on  the  west  side  of  the  Somerset  Basin.  Its  analysis  is  a 
good  deal  like  that  of  the  Cumberland  coal.  This  6-feet  bed  is  the  great  bed  of  Cassel¬ 
man’s  River,  between  Meyer’s  mills,  Confluence,  and  Ursina,  and  it  is  increasing  in 
thickness  eastward,  so  that  the  report  of  its  being  10  feet  thick  under  Salisbury  (see 
oil-well  boring)  may  very  well  be  a  true  one. 

I  first  became  acquainted  with  the  isolated  and  exceptional  character  of  this  bed  in 
1840,  during  my  survey  of  Somerset,  Fayette,  and  Cambria  Counties,  in  company  with 
James  F.  Hodge,  and  as  assistant  of  the  State  geologist,  in  whose  fifth  annual  report 
my  sketch  of  the  geology  of  the  Salisbury  Basin  is  embodied,  but  without  details.  My 
knowledge  of  its  peculiarities  was  much  enlarged  in  subsequent  years,  and  impressed 
me  always  more  and  more.  I  have  frequently  urged  its  claim  to  special  attention,  but 
until  the  completion  of  the  Connellsville  and  Cumberland  Railroad  connection  no  steps 
for  its  development  could  be  profitably  undertaken.  This  connection  being  now  made 
nothing  can  prevent  this  Salisbury  Basin  from  becoming  a  second,  though  somewhat 
smaller,  Cumberland  Basin,  and  that  without  any  rival  but  the  Cumberland  Basin. 

(No.  1.)— For  the  little  hill-top  patch  of  Pittsburgh  bed  left  standing  in  the  Ligonier 
Valley  is  entirely  out  of  the  way  of  all  trade,  and  too  minute  in  itself  to  be  of  any 
account ;  and  the  Broad  Top  coals  are  those  of  the  lower  coal-system,  small  beds  and 
subdivided,  hence  coming  to  market  in  a  soft  and  dirty  condition. 

The  Salisbury  upper  (Pittsburgh)  coals,  if  coked,  can  go  down  to  Pittsburgh  in  com¬ 
petition  with  the  Connellsville  upper  (Pittsburgh)  coal,  coked,;  but  the  Connellsville 
coal,  raw,  is  too  bituminous  to  come  eastward  to  Baltimore  and  Philadelphia  in  com¬ 
petition  with  the  Salisbury  and  Cumberland  coals,  raw.  These,  then,  compete  with 
eacoh  ther,  but  without  competition  from  any  other  quarter  whatever,  forming  vir- 
tnallyfwo  competing  but  allied  monopolies  of  the  best  steam-coal  known. 

To  feel  the  full  force  of  this  remark  it  must  be  kept  in  mind  that  what  is  called  par 
excellence  “Cumberland  coal”  comes  from  the  “Big  Bed,”  (George’s  Creek  Bed,  Pitts¬ 
burgh  Bed,)  in  the  center  of  the  Cumberland  Basin,  and  what  will  soon  be  equally 
famous  as  “  Salisbury  coal  ”  will  come  from  the  same  Big  Bed,  Pittsburgh  Bed,  in  the 
central  ridge  of  the  First  Somerset  or  Salisbury  Basin. 

In  considering  the  commercial  value  of  these  coal-beds  in  comparison  with  each 
other  and  the  transportation  distances  by  the  many  existing  and  proposed  new  routes 
to  the  eastern  markets,  it  is  to  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  two  coals,  the  Salisbury  and 
Cumberland,  come  from  one  and  the  same  (Pittsburgh,  Connellsville,  George’s  Creek) 
upper-coal  series  Great  Coal  Basin,  and  are  of  equal  purity  and  the  beds  of  equal  size, 
or  rather  of  greater  size  at  Salisbury. 

It  is  especially  to  be  remembered  that  the  Irwin  coal  (Westmoreland)  is  only  to  be 
used  for  gas-making  purposes,  and  can  only  be  brought  eastward  for  those  purposes ; 
for  coking  purposes  it  must  go  to  Pittsburgh  and  down  the  Ohio.  Whereas  the  Salis¬ 
bury  coal  will  rival  the  Cumberland  coal  on  a  footiug  of  equality,  as  the  best  steam- 
coal  known,  and  have  nothing  but  the  Cumberland  coal  to  compete  with;  for  the 
Broad-top  and  Alleghany  Mountain  steam-coals  all  come  from  the  smaller,  more 
slaty,  and  softer  beds  of  the  lower  coal  system,  and  therefore  always  must  be  of  infe¬ 
rior  value  in  the  market  to  the  Cumberland  and  Salisbury  coals  ;  while  on  the  other 
hand  the  Salisbury  coal  will  eoke  admirably  also,  and  command  an  equal  standing  in 
the  Pittsburgh  and  down-Ohio-River  markets. 

Observing,  finally,  that  the  noble  coals  of  Jefferson  and  West  Clearfield,  about  to 
enter  the  seaboard  markets  on  the  completion  of  the  Low  Grade  Railroad,  must  travel 
three  hundred  and  twenty  miles  to  reach  Philadelphia,  and  then  come  into  the  sea¬ 
board  market  in  competition  with  the  Irwin  gas-coal  kinds,  (transported  three  hundred 
and  thirty-two  miles,)  to  which  they  really  belong,  (although  the  beds  are  the  upper 
beds  of  the  lower  coal  system,)  and  cannot,  therefore,  compete  well  with  steam-coals. 

H.  Ex,  208 - 5 


58  EXTENSION  OF  THE  CHESAPEAKE  AND  OHIO  CANAL. 


Considering  all  these  points,  I  think  I  have  justified  the  very  exceptionable  value 
which  I  have  for  many  years  past  attached  to  the  Salisbury  coal-basin. 

Note. — Analysis  referred  to : 


Analysis  of  the  five-foot  Salisbury  bed ,  mentioned  in  this  report,  made  by  Booth  Garrett. 


Gas .  16. 02  ? it-  t 

Tarry  matter  and  water .  9.73  <  Volat,le  mat‘er 

Fixed  carbon .  68. 40  ? 

Asli .  5.85$Coke . 


25.75 
74. 25 


100.00 

Note.— Assuming  the  specific  gravity  of  the  gas  to  be  0.45  compared  with  air  as 
unity,  the  amount  of  gas  yielded  by  one  pound  of  coal  will  be  4.64  cubic  feet.  This 
analysis  shows,  first,  the  resemblance  of  this  coal  to  the  Cumberland;  second,  the 
great  amount  of  coke  it  will  produce  even  after  a  certain  loss  of  fixed  carbon. 


APPENDIX  C. 


Letter  of  Mr.  B.  H.  Latrobe. 


Baltimore,  March  2,  1874. 

Dear  Sir  :  Upon  my  return  home  yesterday  I  received  your  letter  of  the  26th  Feb¬ 
ruary,  asking  for  information  in  regard  to  the  cost  of  the  Sand-Patch  tunnel  upon  the 
line  of  the  Pittsburgh  and  Connellsville  Railroad. 

The  work  on  this  tunnel,  of  4,800  feet  in  length,  was  commenced  and  carried  on  for  a 
couple  of  years  or  more  prior  to  my  connection  with  the  road,  and  I  am  not  now  able 
to  say  from  sources  within  my  reach  what  it  cost  during  that  time.  It  was  resumed  in 
1865,  after  a  suspension  of  about  eight  years,  and  within  the  next  two  years  the  sum 
of  $31,549  was  expended  in  removing  7,620  cubic  yards,  at  an  average  cost  of  $4.14  per 
cubic  yard.  This  work  was  done  by  the  day  under  the  superintendence  of  an  agent 
of  the  company,  an  experienced  and  trustworthy  person,  formerly  and  since  a  contrac¬ 
tor  upon  the  line.  It  gives  therefore  a  pretty  good  criterion  of  actual  cost  without 
profit,  although  if  done  by  contract  the  net  cost  might  have  been  somewhat  less,  the 
desire  to  make  a  profit  affording,  even  to  an  honest  man,  an  additional  incentive  to 
economy. 

There  was  350  feet  linear  of  heading  and  500  feet  of  bottoming  in  the  7,620.cubic 
yards,  the  former  constituting  about  one-third  and  the  latter  two-thirds  of  the  whole 
sectional  area  of  the  tunnel,  which  was  16  feet  wide  by  18-J  feet  high,  with  semicircu¬ 
lar  roof  where  masonry  was  not  required,  with  2  to  3  feet  additional  width  and  height 
where  iining  was  needed.  The  lining  was  of  stone,  as  no  good  brick-clay  was  found 
in  the  neighborhood,  and  very  good  sandstone  abounded  in  the  large  bowlders  of  the 
conglomerate  rock  which  were  found  strewn  over  the  surface  in  the  vicinity. 

The  employment  of  this  stone  permitted  the  arch  to  be  reduced  from  18  inches  (had 
it  been  of  brick)  to  12  inches  in  thickness,  which  sufficed  for  so  moderate  a  span,  the 
space  over  the  arch  not  requiring  more  than  2  or  3  feet  of  packing,  except  at  certain 
points  where  the  rock  had  fallen  more  from  overhead.  The  strata  were  inclined  cross¬ 
wise  to  the  line  of  the  tunnel,  the  dip  being  40°  or  50°,  and  the  strike  being  nearly 
parallel  to  the  axis  of  the  tunnel,  the  grade  ascending  1  in  100  from  east  to  west,  and 
the  rock  consisting  of  the  old  red  sandstone  underlying  the  coal-measures.  A  long 
canal-tunnel  would  cut  across  the  stratification  and  encounter  the  lower  coal-measures 
after  passing  through  the  old  red  and  the  mountain  limestone  and  the  millstone  grit. 
After  the  final  resumption  of  the  work  on  the  Sand-Patch  tunnel  in  1868,  it  was  let  to 
contractors,  at  the  following  prices : 


Heading,  what  remained,  (748  cubic  yards,)  nearly  all  being  removed  under  previous 

contract .  P  per  cubic  yard. 

Bottoming,  what  remained,  (27,725  cubic  yards) .  $2.95  per  cubic  yard. 

Stone  packing  over  arch,  (5,085  cubic  yards)  .  $2.25  per  cubic  yard. 

Side  walls,  stone  masonry,  (374  perches  of  25  cubic  feet) . $12.00 

Arch,  stone  masonry,  (1,899  perches  of  25  cubic  feet) .  13.25 


The  railroad  company  furnished  cement  and  sand,  costing  about  $1  per  perch,  to  be 
added  to  these  prices. 

The  tunnel  and  approach -cuts,  which  were  long,  were  made  passable  by  trains  in 
March.  1871  ;  and  since,  some  extension  of  the  arching  has  been  made,  so  that  now 
about  half  the  whole  length,  I  think,  is  lined. 


EXTENSION  OF  THE  CHESAPEAKE  AND  OHIO  CANAL.  59 


Since  writing  the  above  I  have  found  some  papers  which  give  the  prices  of  the  first 
contract,  made  in  1853,  viz  :  Heading,  $5.25 ;  bottom,  $2  ;  packing  over  arch,  $2  ;  shafts, 
(four  in  number,  and  88,  120, 142,  and  178  feet  deep,  respectively.)  $6  i>er  cubic  yard. 
These  were  sunk  before  I  took  charge  of  the  work.  The  first  contractors  abandoned 
the  work,  the  prices  being  inadequate  even  at  that  day  of  lower  prices  of  everything. 
The  last  contractors  made  a  small  profit  by  close  management.  The  whole  tunnel  and 
approaches  have  cost  about  $420,000. 

I  should  think  it  very  unsafe  to  assume  the  preceding  prices  in  estimating  the  cost 
of  a  long  canal-tunnel,  which  might  readily  be  100  per  cent,  higher,  and,  for  the  shafts, 
three  or  four  times  as  high. 

The  Sand-Patch  tunnel  was  remarkably  free  from  trouble  with  water,  the  rock  of 
alternately  hard  and  soft  ledges,  unfit  for  masonry,  and  much  of  it  decomposing  when 
exposed  to  the  atmosphere. 

I  am,  dear  sir,  respectfully  yours, 

BENJ.  H.  LATROBE. 


Col.  W.  E.  Merrill, 

United  States  Engineer  Office, 

No.  4  Public  Landing ,  Cincinnati. 


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